- 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


GIFT  OF 

Mrs.  Ben  B.  Lindsey 


CAPTAIN 
MARTHA  MARY 


I  gotta  get  the  kids  cleaned  up  'fore  me  an' 
Jakey  takes  'em  on  our  weddin'  trip." 


CAPTAIN 
MARTHA   MARY 


BY 

AVERT  ABBOTT 


NEW  YORK 

THE  CENTURY  CO. 

1912 


Copyright,  1912,  by 
THE  CENTURY  Co. 


Published,  April,  1912 


TO  MY  ACTIVE   PARTNER 


Ps 

3S~ol 
A  I  lie. 


Since  ' '  Captain  Martha  Mary  ' '  has 
already  given  to  readers  her  earliest  ex 
ploits,  she  is  under  obligation  to  the  pub 
lishers  of  the  ' '  Metropolitan  Magazine, '  * 
and  the  ' '  Red  Book  Magazine, ' '  whose 
courtesy  makes  it  possible  to  continue 
her  adventures  in  these  pages. 


1106194 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I    A  NEST  TO  LIVE  AT I 

II  THE  WAYS  AND  MEANS  COMMITTEE    .     18 

III  A  VIGIL  AND  A  VISION 29 

IV  BRASS    BUTTONS   AND   FINE   LADIES    .    39 
V    A  FLITTING 48 

VI    TREASURE   TROVE 59 

VII  AN  ADDITION  TO  THE  FAMILY    ...    80 

VIII    DECORATED 91 

IX    THE   WEDDING  TRIP 102 

X  LAND  OF  THE   BLESSED   SLEEP    .     .     .113 

XI    THE   KIDS'   LADY 118 

XII    GOING  TO  LAW 124 

XIII  HER   "OWNEST    OWN" 130 

XIV  FORCED    SURRENDER 139 

XV    STAMPEDED 149 

XVI    To  THE  TALL  TIMBER 155 

XVII  THE    PRODIGAL    DAUGHTER    .     .     .     .  168 

XVIII    CONTEMPT    OF    COURT 176 

XIX    A    REJECTED     PROPOSAL 191 

XX  BLITHELY  ON  HER  BUSINESS  ....  202 


CHAPTER  I 

A  NEST  TO  LIVE  AT 


TRANS-MISSISSIPPI 

LADIES'  AND  GENTS'  CLOTHING 

NEW  AND  SECOND-HAND 


THE  board  was  of  such  proportions 
and  hung  so  low  that  it  came  near 
to  imperiling  the  heads  of  passers-by.  In 
deed,  it  was  the  red  and  yellow  newness  of 
this  sign,  rather  than  any  consideration 
of  the  appertaining  shop  and  stock,  which 
decided  the  business  career  of  Antonio  Blat- 
zenfeld.  He  acquired  as  promptly  as  pos 
sible  the  entire  magnificence;  or,  more  cor 
rectly  speaking,  he  advanced  a  month's 
rent,  made  a  first  payment  on  the  stock, 
and  then,  with  a  lively  and  smiling  counte 
nance,  hastened  back  to  his  family  who 
were  awaiting  him  at  the  Union  Station. 
3 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

Early  in  the  morning  he  had  climbed 
down  from  the  train,  carrying  in  one  hand 
a  bulging  telescope  bag  which  bumped 
against  his  knees,  and  in  the  other  a  volumi 
nous  wicker  basket  covered  with  oilcloth. 
He  was  followed  by  an  apathetic  wife  and 
a  diminishing  line  of  progeny.  This  do 
mestic  procession  Antonio  ushered  into  the 
waiting-room,  where  the  members  of  it  de 
posited  their  few  greasy  bundles  of  food 
and  clothing  and,  apparently  quite  at  home, 
ate,  fought  and  slept,  contentedly  beguiling 
their  father's  absence,  while  Mrs.  Blatzen- 
feld,  with  irresponsible  frequency,  nour 
ished  her  latest-born. 

At  the  end  of  the  day,  Antonio  returned 
to  them,  greatly  exhilarated.  He  breathed 
enthusiasm  and  spirituous  liquors  as  he  en 
tered  the  room  where  the  pawns  of  his 
parentage  lay  strewn  upon  the  squares  of 
the  tesselated  floor  in  the  unguarded  at 
titudes  of  sleep.  Even  Mrs.  Blatzenfeld 
had  succumbed  and  dozed  in  her  chair  with 
hanging  arms,  while  the  latest-born  dangled 
perilously  half  off  her  '  ^p.  Antonio  seized 
4 


A  NEST  TO  LIVE  AT 

the  infant  by  the  middle  of  his  wearing  ap 
parel  and  folded  him  in  a  somewhat  abrupt 
embrace.  The  baby  choked,  then  settled 
into  a  blinking  smile,  rather  obscured  by 
a  round  fist  punctuated  with  black  dimples. 

"  It  is  just  as  if  the  city  it  had  been  made 
for  us,"  the  father  announced  with  loud 
complacency.  "  Already  I  have  found  a 
nest." 

"A  nist  of  wot?"  questioned  his  wife, 
even  less  awake  than  usual. 

Antonio  shouted  with  hilarity,  rolling 
the  squirming  and  gurgling  latest-born  be 
tween  his  palms  like  a  ball. 

"  A  nest  of  wot  ?  "  he  repeated  derisively. 
"  A  place  to  live  at.  A  business  in  front 
and  a  house  behint." 

With  a  fat  smile  Antonio  marshaled  the 
brood  out  of  the  railroad  station ;  and,  after 
a  gratified  survey  of  the  immediate  sur 
roundings,  led  them  down  the  least  reputa 
ble  of  the  adjacent  streets. 

Temporary  hostelries  swung  their  signs 
at  intervals,  while  here  and  there  a  squalid 
shop  displayed  a  rusty  coat  or  a  dangling 
5 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

parr  of  trousers  alluringly  before  its  door, 
and  presently  the  family  came  in  sight  of 
the  gayest  sign  of  the  entire  quarter. 

Mrs.  Blatzenfeld  looked  at  the  board 
when  "it  was  proudly  indicated  by  Antonio; 
she  entered  the  shop  and  also  looked  at 
that.  With  the  brood  at  her  heels  she 
inspected  the  battered  counter,  the  broken 
show-case,  the  semi-opaque  street  windows, 
and  said  not  a  word.  Notwithstanding  the 
natural  expansiveness  of  an  Irish  tempera 
ment,  Mrs.  Blatzenfeld  was  a  silent  woman. 
Years  of  experience  with  a  volatile  and 
loquacious  husband  had  taught  her  the  fu 
tility  of  speech.  She  looked  at  the  three 
shelves  filled  with  fly-specked  boxes;  she 
even  lifted  the  covers  of  some  of  the  boxes 
and  looked  at  the  emptiness  inside;  then 
she  went  out  to  the  rear  room  where  their 
household  effects  were  piled  in  a  heteroge 
neous  heap  in  the  middle  of  the  floor,  and 
where  her  husband  was  already  seated  in 
a  one-armed  rocking-chair  which  he  had 
extricated  from  his  newly  purchased  stock 
of  goods. 

6 


A  NEST  TO  LIVE  AT 

"  Antonio,"  she  asked  hopelessly,  "  sure 
an'  what  is  it  you  was  meaning  to  sell  ?  " 

With  the  vapid  dignity  of  the  mildly  in 
toxicated,  her  husband  waved  his  hand  to 
ward  a  rusty  stove,  a  cast-off  trooper's  uni 
form  hanging  by  a  hook  from  the  ceiling, 
some  paper  masks  on  a  string,  a  pair  of 
high  boots  and  three  battered  hats. 

"  This  stock  —  it  goes  all  with  the  place," 
he  announced  with  prodigal  satisfaction. 
"  Besides,  here  is  where  I  have  one  good 
idea.  It  is  getting  summer.  Already  it 
is  becoming  warm.  We  do  not  need  so 
many  clothings  on  us.  I  will  myself  take 
off  my  coat  and  vest.  You,"  he  regarded 
for  a  moment  his  meagerly  dressed  spouse, 
"  you,  I  egspect,  can  get  along  without 
something,  if  not  from  the  outside,  then 
from  the  underneath.  The  kids  are  need 
ing  not  much  at  all.  We  can  have  quite  a 
stock.  We  will  put  it  in  the  window,  and 
for  the  shelves  I  will  get  fresh  boxes.  By 
the  fall  we  shall  sell  enough  to  buy  much 
more,  and  we  can  then  have  winter  cloth 
ings  besides." 

7 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

As  a  theory  this  was  perfect,  but  it 
promptly  received  its  first  blow  at  the  hands 
of  the  eldest  of  the  brood,  Martha  Mary. 
She  had  been  listening  shrewdly  to  her 
father's  system  of  finance,  and  she  now 
faced  him  with  decision. 

"  You  can  have  my  hat  in  there,"  she 
said,  with  a  jerk  of  her  bright  auburn  head 
toward  the  rear  room.  "  'Tain't  much 
good  anyhow,  since  George  Johnny  slep' 
on  it.  You  can  have  my  underclothings, 
too;  I  don't  care  nothing  about  'em.  But 
I  won't  sell  off  my  shoes  and  stockings. 
To  go  bare  on  your  feet  ain't  ladylike." 

"  Well,  well,"  mollified  Antonio,  having 
learned  in  this  daughter's  brief  years  an  odd 
sort  of  respect  for  a  character  which  was, 
in  reality,  much  stronger  than  his  own. 
"  There  will  be  enough,  yet." 

Indeed,  Jacob  Christopher  'and  George 
Johnny,  considering  clothing  a  burden  and 
a  superfluity,  gladly  parted  with  as  much 
as  the  requirements  of  civilization  would 
allow.  But  a  second  insurrection  took 
place  when  it  became  evident  that  the 
8 


A  NEST  TO  LIVE  AT 

younger  girl  was  expected  to  render  tribute 
in  the  shape  of  a  flannel  petticoat. 

This  child,  having  early  turned  upon  the 
world  glances  of  enchanting  if  sometimes 
intermittent  sweetness,  had  been  christened 
by  her  father,  Sunshine.  Whereupon  she 
had  repaid  him  by  exemplifying  to  the  full, 
in  her  one  small  being,  the  Latin  strain  in 
his  blood.  With  her  growth  she  acquired 
a  snarl  of  grape-black  curls,  eyes  of  blazing 
dusk,  an  amazing  affinity  for  grime,  and  a 
temper  which,  either  in  love  or  anger,  was 
cyclonic.  George  Johnny,  two  years  her 
junior,  blond,  amiable  and  phlegmatic,  she 
passionately  adored.  She  threw  herself 
upon  him  twenty  times  a  day;  often,  it  must 
be  owned,  scratching  and  biting,  but  more 
frequently  with  caresses,  hardly  less  vio 
lent. 

Now,  while  George  Johnny  watched  her, 
blandly  interested,  she  cast  herself  down  on 
the  floor,  to  indulge  in  what  he  called  a 
"  tankrum."  For  was  not  the  petticoat  in 
question,  though  old,  of  scarlet  flannel? 
And  was  not  its  hue  so  dear  to  her  little 
9 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

southern  heart  that  gladly  she  would  have 
worn  it  always  outside,  over  her  gray 
frock? 

But  the  father  could  not  be  expected  to 
take  all  this  into  account.  "  Tankrums," 
moreover,  were  a  commonplace,  and  be 
sides,  he  was  at  present  absorbed  in  busi 
ness.  So  with  firm  hands  he  turned  over 
the  yelling  and  kicking  Sunshine,  unfast 
ened  the  gleaming  brass  button,  which  alone 
guarded  the  gay  treasure,  and  wresting  it 
calmly  away,  proceeded  to  the  considera 
tion  of  further  stock. 

The  latest-born,  not  being  yet  of  an  age 
to  appear  often  in  public,  was  permitted  to 
contribute  more  generously  than  any  of 
the  others  toward  setting  his  father  up 
in  business.  The  weather  being,  as  An 
tonio  had  stated,  very  warm,  the  infant's 
wardrobe  was  reduced  to  the  lowest 
possible  terms  and  thereafter  consisted  sim 
ply  of  a  change  of  flour-sacks.  Pinned  up 
in  one  of  these,  a  rear  view  pronounced 
him  in  green  letters  "  Pride  of  the  West." 
The  alternate  garment,  printed  in  red, 
10 


A  NEST  TO  LIVE  AT 

declared  him  to  be  a  "  Happy  Thought." 
Antonio,  observing  this  last,  grinned. 
"  It  will  do  as  well  as  any  other,"  he  said. 
"We  will  call  him  that."  As  the  family 
increased,  the  father's  interest  in  names  was 
abating.  Earlier,  this  had  been  an  especial 
pride  of  his,  but  the  christening  of  the  latest- 
born  was  a  minor  consideration. 

The  present  absorbing  interest  of  the 
'brood  was  the  arrangement  of  their  sur 
rendered  garments  in  a  seductive  window 
display.  So  adroitly  did  Antonio  pluck  up 
the  flattened  ribbons  of  Martha  Mary's  hat 
and  so  skilfully  did  he  fold  out  of  sight  the 
rags  and  spots  of  Jacob  Christopher's 
jacket  that  the  original  owners  would  gladly 
have  regained  their  property.  They  scur 
ried  eagerly  into  the  street  to  view  their 
garments,  as  they  were  disposed  in  the 
front  window,  and  they  came  to  blows  in 
a  dispute  as  to  which  sacrifice  would  at 
tract  the  first  purchaser. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  their  father's  coat 
was  the  initial  sale  and  it  went  for  such  a 
good  price  —  the  buyer  evidently  being  in 
ii 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

need  of  altering  speedily  his  outward  ap 
pearance —  that  the  proceeds  enabled  An 
tonio  to  become  satisfyingly  intoxicated. 
This  was  scarcely  an  episode  in  the  family, 
long  familiarity  having  dulled  its  signifi 
cance;  but  Martha  Mary,  growing  daily 
in  keenness  of  perception,  made  at  about 
this  time  a  discovery. 

"  Jake,"  she  said  one  day,  while  the  two 
sat  in  the  shade  of  a  garbage  barrel,  catch 
ing  flies  and  pulling  off  their  heads,  "  ma  's 
booze  fightin'." 

"What's  that?"  questioned  the  less  so 
phisticated  younger  brother. 

"  Drinkin',  like  pa.  That 's  what  makes 
her  sleep  all  the  time  and  makes  her  so 
cross  when  she  ain't  sleepin'.  I  guess 
drunk  women  is  meaner  'n  drunk  men." 

"  Ma  's  mean,"  agreed  Jakey,  stung  by  the 
rankle  of  some  recent  injury. 

"  She  ain't,  neither.  You  must  n't  talk 
like  that  about  your  ma,"  reproved  Martha 
Mary  with  inconsistent  loyalty.  "  She 's 
drunk  now,"  she  calmly  continued.  "  I  'm 
goin'  in  and  see  what  she  's  doin'." 
12 


A  NEST  TO  LIVE  AT 

Their  arrival  in  the  rear  room  did  not 
attract  their  mother's  attention.  She  lay 
on  the  bed  with  the  baby  beside  her  and  was 
occupied  at  the  moment  with  trying  to  pour 
some  last  drops  from  a  bottle  into  the 
child's  open  mouth.  Poor  little  misnamed 
Happy  was  crying  and  choking,  but  stopped 
both  abruptly  as  Martha  Mary  jerked  him 
into  her  arms. 

"  You  quit  givin'  him  that,"  she  ordered 
shrilly.  "  You  're  givin'  it  to  him  all  the 
time.  I  seen  you.  It  '11  make  him  silly, 
Mis'  Kelly  said  it  would." 

Mrs.  Blatzenfeld  was  in  no  condition  to 
argue  concerning  her  neighbor's  superior 
knowledge  of  the  rearing  of  infants.  She 
muttered  thickly,  glaring  at  her  daughter, 
then  lurched  over  on  the  bed  in  the  stupor 
of  drunkenness. 

Jacob  Christopher  began  to  sniff.  "  I  'm 
hungry,"  he  complained,  desirous  of  con 
tributing  his  quota  to  the  family  discom 
fort. 

"  Shut  up,  Jake  Blatzenfeld,"  snapped 
his  sister.  "  Course  you  're  hungry.  So  'm 
13  » 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

I.  So  's  ma,  I  s'pose,  if  she  knew  enough 
to  know  it.  Come  on,  we  '11  go  set  on  Mis' 
Kelly's  back  step.  Mebbe  she  '11  give  us 
somep'n." 

Mrs.  Kelly,  to  whom  Martha  Mary 
seemed  to  pin  her  faith,  possessed  the  dis 
tinction,  rare  in  that  vicinity,  of  having  no 
children  of  her  own  to  look  out  for.  And 
though  her  indulgent  generosity  toward  the 
children  of  others  was  likely  to  be  spas 
modic,  she  was  a  possible  resource  upon 
which  the  little  Blatzenfelds  had  learned  to 
count.  Accordingly  the  two  eldest  now  set 
forth  by  the  shortest  route,  to  be  joined  on 
the  way  by  Sunshine  and  George  Johnny, 
just  returned  from  an  inspection  of  the  ad 
jacent  alleys  with  a  view  to  discovering 
some  rejected  scraps  of  food.  But  very 
little  that  was  eatable  ever  was  rejected  in 
this  neighborhood,  and  the  entire  quartette 
proceeded  to  the  friendly  Mrs.  Kelly's,  who 
looked  out  of  the  door  to  find  them  ranged 
upon  the  step,  apparently  admiring  the 
back  yard. 

"  You  kids  had  anything  to  eat  to-day  ?  " 
14 


A  NEST  TO  LIVE  AT 

was    her    prompt    and    practical    question. 

"  Oh,  yes  'm,"  answered  Martha  Mary 
brightly,  at  which  Jacob  Christopher  stared 
in  disappointment. 

"  What 's  yer  ma  doin'  ?  " 

"  She  's  asleep.  We  come  away  so  's  not 
to  disturb  her." 

"Where's  yer  pa?" 

"  He  ain't  been  home  for  two  days.  I 
guess  he  's  got  a  job." 

Mrs.  Kelly  grunted  incredulously,  then 
she  took  the  day's  loaf  from  the  shelf, 
where  it  lay  between  a  kerosene  lamp  and 
a  flat  iron,  cut  off  four  thin  slices,  and, 
looking  a  bit  regretfully  at  the  remnant  as 
she  laid  it  back,  handed  the  portions  to 
Martha  Mary. 

"  Oh,  thank  you,"  said  the  elder  sister 
in  apparent  surprise.  "  We  're  so  particu 
lar  fond  of  bread  we  can  eat  it  any  time." 

"  Well,  hurry  up  an'  eat  it  then.  If  any 
more  kids  come,  it  '11  be  lunches  all  around." 

It  must  needs  have  been  a  sudden  ar 
rival  that  could  have  surprised  any  vestige 
of  that  bread  upon  one  of  the  Blatzenfelds. 
15 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

But  the  last  scrap  of  food  that  Mrs.  Kelly 
could  manage  to  bestow,  supplemented  by  a 
bit  here  and  there  from  other  neighbors, 
could  not  long  keep  the  little  household 
from  the  twisting  pangs  of  hunger. 

The  expansive  sign  still  swinging  above 
the  shop  door  might  have  .indicated  the  gate 
of  doom,  so  far  as  Antonio  and  his  family 
were  concerned.  At  least  it  very  effect 
ively  marked  the  man's  last  flamboyant  im 
pulse  toward  responsibility.  He  now  ap 
peared  only  long  enough  to  select  what 
seemed  the  most  negotiable  object  about  the 
premises,  and  then  vanished  to  reappear 
briefly  upon  the  same  errand,  more  unsteady 
and  blear-eyed  than  before,  but  never  ill- 
natured.  It  was  left  for  his  wife  thor 
oughly  to  exemplify  that  phase  of  dissipa 
tion.  These  were  precarious  days  for  the 
brood,  and  they  learned  to  anticipate  with 
satisfaction  the  final  stage  which  left  their 
mother  helpless  on  the  floor. 

One  dull  morning  revealed  even  the  sign 
gone;  the  next  brought  rumor  of  Antonio 
in  jail.  Mrs.  Blatzenfeld  did  not  doubt 
16 


A  NEST  TO  LIVE  AT 

the  truth  of  the  news ;  in  fact,  it  did  not  in 
terest  her  particularly;  she  faced  more 
pressing  realities.  There  was  nothing  to 
sell,  there  was  nothing  to  eat;  that  might 
have  been  borne;  but  there  was  nothing  to 
drink,  and  that  was  not  to  be  endured. 
She  was  dully  conscious  of  the  dependent 
brood,  whom  she  regarded  with  smoldering 
animosity.  It  was  a  problem  altogether  too 
intricate  for  the  befuddled  mind  of  Mrs. 
Blatzenfeld,  and  she  solved  it  by  subtract 
ing  herself.  What  became  of  her  no  one 
was  at  the  least  pains  to  ascertain.  The 
brood  was  troubled  rather  than  bereft,  and 
their  small  capabilities  were  completely  oc 
cupied  by  their  own  immediate  needs. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE    WAYS    AND    MEANS    COMMITTEE 

EVEN  the  enterprising  sun  of  an  early 
May  morning  took  some  time  to  find 
its  way  into  the  one  window  of  that  room, 
back  of  the  shop  where  the  little  Blatzen- 
felds  were  sleeping.  The  yellow  beams  lay 
first  across  Martha  Mary's  small,  square, 
and  rather  dingy  chin;  then  they  outlined 
clearly  the  cheerful  snub  of  her  profusely 
freckled  nose,  and  at  last  the  warm  rays 
fell  on  her  eyes.  Martha  Mary  put  up  her 
fists  and  rubbed  those  eyes  with  a  weary 
little  gesture  which  was  appealingly  child 
ish,  but  the  next  moment  she  sat  erect,  and 
immediately  her  face  took  on  an  expression 
of  mature  concern.  Crawling  carefully 
over  the  tumbled  rags  which  served  as  bed 
ding,  she  reached  across  George  Johnny 
and  gave  the  still  slumbering  Jakey  a  pinch. 
18 


WAYS  AND  MEANS  COMMITTEE 

"Ouch!"  said  Jacob  Christopher 
promptly,  and  made  a  scramble  in  prepara 
tion  for  swift  reprisal,  but  Martha  Mary 
cowed  him  with  serious  mien  and  uplifted 
finger. 

"  Hush !  "  she  admonished.  "  Come 
'long  outside." 

Once  out,  she  closed  the  door  with  cau 
tion  and  entered  upon  her  explanation, 
while  the  not  yet  fully  awakened  Jakey 
blinked  at  the  ruts  and  garbage  heaps  of 
the  alley,  where  the  hot  sun  was  already 
cooking  up  divers  malodorous  vapors. 

"  You  get  them  kids  awake,"  began 
Martha  Mary,  "  an'  there  '11  be  nothin'  but 
cryin',  same  as  there  was  all  yesterday." 
The  freckled  face  sharpened  at  the  recollec 
tion  of  yesterday's  trials.  "  Tell  you  what, 
Jake  Blatzenfeld,  you  'n  me 's  got  to 
hustle." 

"  Hustle  w'ot  ?  "  questioned  the  brother, 
in  junior  dependence. 

"  Hustle  somethin'  for  them  kids  to  eat, 
first  thing.  Ain't  nobody  else  to  do  it.  I 
was  thinkin'  last  night,  w'en  I  heard  the 
19 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

boys  yellin'  '  Yuxtry ! '  why  can't  you  sell 
papers?  " 

"  Aw,  I  dunno  how !  "  deprecated  Jacob 
Christopher. 

"  Know  how !  "  His  sister  withered  him. 
"  You're  the  loudest  yellin'  boy  I  ever 
seen,  an'  you  might  just  as  well  be  yellin' 
'  Woild-Hoild-Bee-ur-News ! '  "  (Here  Mar 
tha  Mary  gave  a  subdued  imitation  of  this 
accomplishment.)  "  Might  as  well  be  yell- 
in'  that,  as  to  be  yellin'  nonsense  out  of 
your  own  head." 

"  Where  'd  I  get  the  papers  to  yell  ?  " 
questioned  the  still  reluctant  Jakey. 

"  That 's  just  what  I  don't  know  nothin* 
about,  but  I  'm  goin'  over  right  now  to  ask 
Mis'  Kelly ;  she  '11  most  likely  know.  Pa 
ain't  a  comin'  back,  nor  ma  ain't,  neither. 
I  '11  bet  you  a  dollar  on  that !  "  This  last 
was  stated  with  the  triumphant  assurance 
of  one  who  lays  down  plenteous  coin  on  a 
safe  wager.  "  You  stay  right  here ;  don't 
go  stravagin'  off  now,  'cause  if  Happy 
wakes  up  he  '11  holler  like  anythin'  for  his 
milk.  I  won't  be  gone  but  a  minute." 
20 


WAYS  AND  MEANS  COMMITTEE 

She  set  off  with  wiry  skips,  hopping  over 
tin  cans  and  old  bottles,  her  two  red  braids 
flapping  on  her  flat  little  shoulders,  until 
they  switched  around  the  corner  that  led  to 
Mrs.  Kelly's. 

Popping  in  at  her  neighbor's  back  door 
she  popped  out  her  question  at  the  same 
instant : 

"  Mis'  Kelly,  where  at  do  you  git  papers 
to  yell?" 

The  languid  Mrs.  Kelly,  still  leaning  her 
elbows  upon  a  crumb-strewn  table  over  a 
dirty  coffee  cup,  looked  around,  wearily. 

"  Well,  ain't  you  the  limit ! "  she  ob 
served,  from  the  depths  of  her  morning 
lassitude.  "  A  body  'd  think  you  was 
stirred  up  of  ginger  an'  lightning." 

But  Martha  Mary  was  in  no  mood  for 
neighborly  badinage;  her  expression  grew 
still  more  earnest. 

"  Where  do  they  git  'em,  though  ?  the 
kids  that  sells  the  papers?  I  want  to  git 
Jakey  started  right  away.  I  got  to !  " 

The  anxious  note  in  those  last  words 
pierced  even  the  easy  sloth  of  Mrs.  Kelly. 

21 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

"  What 's  the  matter?     Yer  ma  sick?  " 

"  I  guess  so.  I  dunno.  Leastways  she 
ain't  there." 

"Ain't  there!     Since  when?" 

Martha  Mary  stopped  to  consider.  It 
seemed  a  long  time  since  the  family  had 
been  her  responsibility.  After  a  moment 
she  said : 

"  It  was  the  night  before  yesterday 
when  she  went  away.  She  did  n't  come 
back." 

"An'  yerpa?" 

"  He 's  been  gone  a  long  time,  al 
ready." 

Mrs.  Kelly  was  fully  roused  now.  "  For 
the  love  of  Mary,  ain't  that  the  limit!" 
she  cried,  her  voice  vibrating  with  honest 
sympathy.  "  An'  you  kids  a  little  nearer 
starved  than  what  you  've  been  any  time 
yet!" 

Still  Martha  Mary's  pride  did  not  quite 
desert  her.  "  The  milkman  give  me  a  lit 
tle  milk  for  the  baby,"  she  protested.  "  It 
was  most  sour,  but  he  took  it,  every  speck. 
An'  we  found  quite  a  bit  of  bread  an* 
22 


WAYS  AND  MEANS  COMMITTEE 

things  in  the  can  back  of  the  '  Quick 
Lunch.'  " 

Even  the  unfastidious  Mrs.  Kelly  made 
a  grimace  at  the  thought  of  this  source  of 
supplies.  "  You  better  keep  out  of  that. 
You  '11  all  get  pizened,"  she  admonished. 
"  That  old  Brodky  would  n't  throw  out 
nothin'  that  was  fit  for  a  dog." 

Martha  Mary's  face  puckered  and  her 
eyes  filled.  Upon  the  table  before  her  was 
still  the  heel  of  a  loaf,  some  milk  remained 
in  the  bottom  of  a  yellow  glass  pitcher,  and 
the  air  of  the  little  room  reeked  with  the 
smell  of  much-boiled  coffee.  So  delicious 
was  that  odor  to  Martha  Mary  that  it  made 
her  sick. 

"  You  pore  red-headed  lamb !  "  exclaimed 
Mrs.  Kelly,  realizing  the  gravity  of  the  sit 
uation  and  reaching,  simultaneously,  for  the 
coffee  pot  and  the  milk  pitcher.  But  Mar 
tha  Mary  intervened. 

"  If  I  could  just  have  some  milk  for  the 
baby,  till  Jakey  can  git  into  business." 

"  Now  don't  you  be  a  fool,  Martha 
Mary !  "  admonished  the  woman,  as  she 
23 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

held  out  a  slopping  cup  of  the  gray  mix 
ture  and  began  to  pull  off  a  portion  of  the 
bread.  "Jest  you  git  yourself  outside  of 
that,  while  I  gether  up  a  few  things." 

A  relief  expedition  was  soon  under  way, 
and  when  Jakey,  still  humping  disconso 
lately  on  the  back  step,  caught  sight  of  an 
approaching  coffee-pot  grasped  by  Mrs. 
Kelly,  he  emitted  a  yell  which  augured  a  re 
markable  capacity  for  his  future  profession. 

With  a  crust  in  one  hand  and  some  very 
small  change  in  the  other  he  was  despatched 
to  the  nearest  grocery  and  soon  the  entire 
brood  was  feeding  voraciously  on  bread 
and  coffee,  while  the  baby  attached  himself 
with  silent  avidity  to  a  sticky  but  succulent 
bottle.  Meanwhile  Mrs.  Kelly  offered 
counsel : 

"  Course  you  could  apply  to  the  Board 
of  Charities,"  she  commented,  "  but  don't 
you  never  do  it.  If  there  's  one  thing  I 
can't  stand,  it 's  bein'  done  good  to.  First 
thing  they  'd  do  would  be  to  separate  you 
all  up.  Send  some  of  you  way  out  in  the 
country,  like  's  not,  an'  the  rest  to  the  Child 
24 


WAYS  AND  MEANS  COMMITTEE 

Savin'  Ins'tute.  I  put  my  Katy  in  that 
place,  the  winter  Mike  got  his  leg  broke. 
They  never  give  her  a  thing  to  eat  but 
bread  and  milk,  an'  she  most  a  year  an'  a 
half  old!  When  I  got  her  out  she  was 
pretty  nigh  starved  for  potatoes  and  meat 
an'  somethin'  solid.  I  fed  her  good 
strengthenin'  food  up  to  the  day  she  died, 
an'  I  ain't  got  nothin'  to  blame  myself  for. 
No,  sir!  you  keep  clear  of  them  charity 
guys,  just  as  long  as  you  can." 

The  little  Blatzenfelds,  gazing  at  their 
friend  with  their  mouths  full  and  their 
stomachs  warm  and  cozy,  were  very  will 
ing  to  scorn  assistance  from  all  blundering 
and  pride-bound  organizations.  And  when 
Mrs.  Kelly,  getting  to  her  feet,  announced 
that  she  would  make  ready  to  go  with  Jakey 
upon  his  quest  for  employment,  the  two 
older  children  felt  that  success  was  assured. 

Mrs.  Kelly's  toilet,  for  ceremonious  oc 
casions,  consisted  always  of  a  shirt  waist 
which  made  up  in  starch  what  it  lacked  in 
cleanness.  Her  skirt  remained  the  same, 
varied  only  by  the  differing  arrangements 
25 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

of  a  huge  safety  pin  at  the  back  of  the 
waist  band. 

That  safety  pin  was  an  unfailing  indi 
cator  of  Mrs.  Kelly's  spiritual  and  financial 
state.  Like  mercury  in  a  thermometer,  it 
went  up  and  down  her  spinal  column,  ac 
cording  to  her  mental  temperature.  When 
she  was  feeling  altogether  low  she  omitted 
the  pin  entirely  and  abandoned  herself  to 
a  bagging  hiatus  in  the  equatorial  regions. 

But  to-day,  when  the  two  were  ready  to 
depart,  Martha  Mary  was  encouraged  to 
observe  that  the  safety  pin  was  at  its  top 
most  limit,  so  high  indeed  that  Mrs.  Kelly's 
skirt  canted  up  in  the  back  to  reveal,  above 
her  low  shoe,  a  hole  in  the  heel  of  her 
stocking.  However,  since  her  belt  had 
quite  an  elegant  slant,  Martha  Mary  deemed 
it  best  not  to  mention  the  hole. 

The  auguries  proved  correct.  An  hour 
later,  Jakey,  wearing  a  numbered  badge, 
returned  triumphant,  a  regularly  appointed 
"  newsy."  When,  on  the  next  evening,  he 
brought  home  twenty-seven  cents,  the  Blat- 
zenfeld  family  basked  in  affluence.  They 
26 


WAYS  AND  MEANS  COMMITTEE 

had  oyster  stew  for  supper,  two  oysters  in 
each  portion,  and  three  for  Jakey  because 
he  was  at  work  and  needed  strengthening 
food.  Martha  Mary  remarked  that  they 
would  n't  have  needed  the  soup  so  rich,  but 
it  was  all  right  for  once  as  a  celebration. 
The  elder  sister  had  that  sanguine  tempera 
ment  which  is  particularly  strong  on  cele 
brations.  When  there  was  no  especial  oc 
casion  to  be  discovered  she  devised  one,  be 
ing  fertile  of  expedients. 

The  following  evening  they  celebrated 
again  in  honor  of  the  fact  that  Martha  Mary 
also  had  become  a  wage  earner.  This  time 
they  banqueted  upon  hot  "  weenies  "  and 
a  dill  pickle,  of  huge  size  and  virulent  com 
plexion.  "  A  dill  pickle  goes  so  far ! " 
jubilated  Martha  Mary,  munching  a  green 
and  rubbery  disk  of  the  lauded  fruit. 

One  circumstance  alone  marred  her  fe 
licity;  her  new  occupation  would  take  her 
away  from  Happy  during  the  greater  part 
of  each  day.  For  Martha  Mary  was  to 
be  nurse  to  another  baby  of  the  neighbor 
hood,  a  Hinkstein  baby,  whose  mother 
27 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

wanted  to  go  out  to  work.  Jakey  must 
therefore  be  on  hand  when  his  sister  was 
not,  and  hours  had  been  arranged  accord 
ingly. 

It  all  looked  very  simple  and  felicitous; 
according  to  Mrs.  Kelly,  it  was  "  a  blessin' 
from  Heaven,"  and  certainly  that  shining 
dime  each  night  must  not  be  allowed  to  es 
cape.  So  Martha  Mary  shouldered,  very 
literally,  her  new  responsibility,  and  she  al 
lowed  no  one  to  suspect  how  heavy  and 
how  ugly  she  thought  that  Hinkstein  baby. 


28 


CHAPTER  III 


FROM  a  sound  sleep  Martha  Mary  sud 
denly  bobbed  up  to  a  sitting  posture, 
her  smarting  eyes  staring  into  the  darkness 
and  a  sense  of  calamity  heavy  in  her  little 
breast.  What  had  gone  wrong?  For  a 
moment  she  could  not  remember,  then  the 
empty  ache  within  spurred  her  tired 
senses.  She  was  very  hungry.  They  had 
gone  without  supper.  In  vain  they  had 
waited  for  Jakey,  and  Jakey  had  not  come. 
Martha  Mary  had  watched  from  the  door 
way  until  she  grew  afraid  of  the  dark. 
Then,  with  the  door  fastened  as  securely 
as  its  rickety  lock  would  permit,  she  had 
stared  out  of  the  grimy  window,  and  every 
moment  she  had  grown  more  anxious,  and 
more  empty. 

Her  one  nickel  had  purchased  milk  for 
the  baby,  and  as  it  grew  late  she  divided 
29 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

the  portion  that  was  left  between  Sunshine 
and  George  Johnny.  Thus  they  went  to 
sleep,  leaving  Martha  Mary  to  her  lonely 
terrors.  Finally,  even  she  could  no  longer 
endure  the  vigil.  Her  arms  and  legs 
prickled,  and  her  eyelids  were  closing  of 
their  own  weight.  She  dragged  herself 
over  to  the  bed  and  knew  nothing  more 
about  anything  until  she  bobbed  up  again, 
with  her  whole  small  being  wondering 
about  Jakey.  She  had  no  idea  what  the 
hour  might  be.  It  was  no  darker  than  when 
she  went  to  bed,  but  the  feeling  she  had 
was  a  very  late  feeling,  and  all  the  sounds 
were  late  sounds,  even  to  the  far-off  clang 
ing  of  a  trolley  gong,  which  rang  faintly 
and  infrequently,  because  there  were  now 
so  few  teams  or  people  in  the  streets.  The 
gritty  gnawing  of  a  mouse  only  empha 
sized  the  silence  that  had  been  filled  when 
she  went  to  sleep  by  the  metallic  jingling  of 
an  electric  piano  in  a  saloon  two  blocks 
away. 

As  Martha  Mary  listened  to  the  lonely 
lateness  of  the  night,  a  horrible  fear  began 
30 


A  VIGIL  AND  A  VISION 

to  drag  at  her.  Jakey  was  dead.  He  must 
be  dead.  She  knew  it.  With  a  sickening1 
chill  at  the  pit  of  her  stomach,  she  saw  him 
go  under  the  wheels  of  a  street  car.  Or 
perhaps  it  had  been  one  of  those  ramping, 
honking  automobiles.  Whatever  the  cause, 
the  result  was  the  arms  and  legs  of  Jakey 
strewn  the  length  and  breadth  of  Farnam 
Street  —  ten  times  as  many  arms  and  legs 
as  a  boy  of  his  normal  structure  could  pos 
sibly  have  produced. 

Despite  her  sureness  of  calamity,  Martha 
Mary  longed  to  go  to  the  door  and  look 
out  into  the  night.  What  relief,  then,  if 
Jakey,  still  intact,  should  be  approaching! 
She  dared  not  believe  it;  she  had  been  dis 
appointed  too  many  times  by  other  foot 
steps  that  had  gone  slouching  emptily  by 
into  the  unknown  darkness  of  the  street. 
So,  in  the  terror  that  had  finally  come  upon 
her,  she  crouched  down  in  a  strained  pos 
ture,  cowering  and  listening.  The  closed 
room  was  moistly  hot,  and  with  her  chok 
ing  anxiety,  Martha  Mary  felt  smothered. 

But  hark!  What  was  that?  There  was 
31 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

a  sound:  the  creak  of  a  board  outside,  a 
touch  on  the  door.  The  knob  turned 
softly.  Never  before  had  Martha  Mary 
known  what  a  reassurance  the  nightly  pres 
ence  of  the  soundly  sleeping  Jakey  had 
been.  She  would  have  screamed  in  spite 
of  herself,  but  her  tongue  was  dry  and  not 
even  a  whisper  came. 

Then,  from  without  the  door  she  heard 
a  tone  familiar: 

"  Lemme  in !  " 

Like  a  coiled  spring  released,  Martha 
Mary  was  erect  and  across  the  floor.  She 
jerked  back  the  rusty  bolt,  peeked  through 
the  crack,  then  flung  the  door  wide. 

"  Jacob  Christopher  Blatzenf  eld,  where 
have  you  been  ?  "  With  the  words  there 
surged  over  her  a  great  wave  of  joyful  re 
lief,  to  be  washed  down  immediately  by  a 
much  greater  wave  of  indignation. 

Jakey's  entrance  was  sidewise  and  depre 
cating.  He  started  toward  the  corner 
where  the  others  lay  asleep,  but  Martha 
Mary  grasped  his  arm. 

"  I  said,  where  was  you?  "  she  demanded. 
32 


A  VIGIL  AND  A  VISION 

Her  brother  jerked  away.  "  Show!  "  he 
ejaculated,  defiantly.  The  dark  and  lonely 
homeward  way  had  been  almost  too  much 
even  for  Jakey. 

"Show?"  exploded  his  sister.  "What 
show?" 

"  Orfume,"  the  boy  answered,  trying  to 
make  his  tone  convey  an  extended  familiar 
ity  with  every  form  of  entertainment. 
"  All  the  kids  goes,  all  the  time.  Binky  he 
goes  mos'  every  night.  It 's  great !  " 

"Binky!"  Martha  Mary  sniffed.  "  Ju 
have  any  supper?  " 

"  Had  nuff,"  Jakey  evaded. 

"Bet  it  was  a  lot!"  his  sister  jeered. 

"  Was  a-plenty,"  the  boy  righteously  con 
tended,  and  then  he  let  slip  a  fact  he  had 
not  meant  to  tell.  "  Me  and  Binky  had 
pink  ice  cream,  an'  pop,  an'  cracker-jack ! " 

Ice  cream?  Cracker- jack?  Jakey  could 
not  mean  that.  Jakey  was  only  telling  a 
lie.  But  no;  there  had  been  importance 
and  pride  in  his  voice.  He  did  mean 
it:  pink  ice  cream!  That,  and  cracker- 
jack  !  And  Martha  Mary,  at  this  very  mo- 
33 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

ment,  would  have  given  anything  for  the 
stalest  bun  or  the  most  impregnable  dough 
nut  which  might  have  helped  to  assuage  the 
ache  and  grind  of  emptiness. 

Ice  cream!  Jakey  had  said  it.  Not 
merely  ice  cream,  but  pink  ice  cream !  Very 
well,  then;  but  that  was  not  the  important 
thing.  Martha  Mary  knew  the  important 
thing.  She  put  it  into  a  sudden  question: 

"  Got  any  money  ?  " 

"  Yep,"  replied  Jakey,  still  righteously, 
and  burrowed  in  the  bottom  of  a  trousers 
pocket. 

Martha  Mary  took  the  coins  which  he 
handed  her  and  spread  them  on  her  palm  in 
the  faint  glimmer  of  electricity  which  fil 
tered  through  the  window.  Three  cop 
pers!  They  could  at  least  have  rolls  for 
breakfast.  And  then  Martha  Mary  remem 
bered  the  baby's  milk. 

She  put  the  pennies  on  the  table  and  si 
lently  crossing  the  floor,  lay  down  on  the 
lumpy  and  disarranged  bedding  in  the  cor 
ner.  Jakey,  also,  disposed  himself  for  the 
night,  which  was  a  brief  process  in  the  Blat- 
34 


A  VIGIL  AND  A  VISION 

zenfeld  family,  since  disrobing  was  consid 
ered  a  futile  and  unnecessary  performance. 
Neither  of  the  children  spoke.  Jakey  lay 
absolutely  still,  Martha  Mary  felt  sure  that 
he  was  asleep. 

She  was  mad  at  Jakey,  so  mad  that  she 
was  never  going  to  get  over  it.  She  was 
madder  still  because  he  could  go  to  sleep, 
—  go  to  sleep  right  away,  and  not  care  one 
bit  that  he  had  spent  all  his  money  and  had 
devoured  pink  ice  cream,  and  popcorn,  and 
cracker- jack,  and  had  been  to  a  show.  She 
would  be  mad  at  Jakey  all  her  life!  She 
choked  with  the  bitterness  of  her  resolution 
and  the  hot  tears  smarted  in  her  eyes. 

What  was  that?  Jakey  was  talking  in 
his  sleep !  No,  he  was  n't ;  he  was  awake 
and  speaking  to  her.  He  did  not  seem  to 
realize  at  all  how  mad  at  him  she  was. 

"  Gee ! "  said  the  boy's  subdued  voice, 
thrilling  with  remembrance.  "  Gee,  Martha 
Mary,  you'd  jus'  orto  seen  that  elephant! 
Right  up  on  the  stage  he  was,  an'  him  big 
as  a  house!  He  could  dance,  that  elephant 
could.  Wa'n't  nothin'  he  couldn't  do. 
35 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

He  'd  walk  around  over  the  man  an'  never 
step  on  him,  not  once.  If  he  had  stepped 
on  that  man  he  'd  a  squashed  him  flat,  but 
you  could  see  the  feller  wan't  a  mite  afraid. 

"  There  was  more  things,  too.  There 
was  somethin'  Binky  called  a  '  skit.'  It 
was  a  man  a-paperin'  a  room.  You  never 
did  see  no  such  a  dub  as  that  feller  was. 
We  mos'  died  a-laffin'  at  him.  He  'd  get 
all  tangled  up  in  the  paper,  an'  when  he  got 
a  piece  straightened  out  an'  ready  to  slap 
onto  the  wall,  he  'd  fall  off  the  stepladder 
into  the  paste  bucket,  an'  there  he  'd  be,  in 
a  worse  mess  'an  he  was  before.  You  'd 
jus'  died  a-laffin',  Martha  Mary.  Binky  an' 
me  mos'  did." 

Martha  Mary  was  silent,  but  Jakey,  be 
ing  quite  lost  in  the  gleeful  treasure  of  his 
impressions,  had  still  a  breathless  lot  of 
wonderful  things  to  tell. 

"  But  the  prettiest  was  a  lady,  a  lady 
with  a  white  horse.  All  white  he  was; 
not  a  speck  on  him,  anywheres.  And  the 
lady  she  had  on  a  dress  all  shiny  green  and 
gold,  like  fish  scales  all  over,  only  brighter  'n 
36 


A  VIGIL  AND  A  VISION 

a  gold  fish  even.  Her  dress  hung  down  in 
the  back  an'  laid  around  on  the  floor." 

"A  train?"  breathed  Martha  Mary. 

"  Yep,  I  guess  it  was  a  train.  An' 
she  an'  that  horse  made  pictures  of  their- 
selves." 

"Pictures?"  Martha  Mary  questioned. 
"Pictures?  how?"  She  was  sitting  up  in 
the  darkness  and  so  was  Jakey.  They 
talked  in  violent  whispers,  across  the  slum 
bering  barrier  of  Sunshine  and  George 
Johnny. 

"  Oh,  they  stood  around  and  made  'em. 
I  can't  say  it  so  's  you  'd  know.  You  orto 
see  it.  I  bet  if  I  sell  a  lot  of  papers  this 
nex'  week,  an'  we  don'  spend  much  on 
eatin',  we  'd  have  enough  money  so 's  we 
could  all  go." 

It  seemed  an  inopportune  time  to  urge 
further  abstinence  from  food,  but  Martha 
Mary  did  not  think  of  that.  Before  her 
spread  the  lure  of  unknown  wonders.  Her 
agile  mind  had  already  created  marvels  be 
yond  anything  Jakey  had  beheld.  More 
than  all  was  the  reassurance  of  Jakey's 

37 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

magnanimity.  He  wanted  her  to  go,  too; 
he  wanted  them  all  to  go. 

"  Will  it  be  there  yet  next  week  ?  "  she 
asked,  in  sudden  fear. 

"  It 's  there  all  the  time,  only  different. 
Sometimes  it 's  better,  Binky  says.  Sun 
shine  an'  George  Johnny,  they  'd  like  it 
gran'.  Mis'  Kelly  she  'd  keep  the  baby." 

"  Well,  sir,  we  '11  jus'  do  that !  "  joyously 
whispered  Martha  Mary.  "  You  bet  we 
jus'  will.  Now  we  better  shut  up  a-talkin'. 
Mus'  be  mos'  mornin'." 

She  lay  down  with  resolution,  but  long 
after  Jakey  was  breathing  regularly,  his 
sister  was  still  wide-eyed.  Her  hungry 
little  stomach  and  her  hungry  little  brain 
were  combining  to  keep  her  awake,  but  it 
was  a  pleasant  wakefulness,  full  of  dazzling 
fancies. 

The  hungry  little  heart  was  satisfied. 


CHAPTER  IV 

BRASS   BUTTONS   AND   FINE   LADIES 

THE  wobbly  craft  of  the  Blatzenfelds 
seemed  afloat  in  fair  water.  It  was 
undeniably  true  that,  according  to  their 
standards,  the  little  family  was  on  the  edge 
of  being  comfortable,  but  there  were  shoals 
ahead.  They  struck  Number  One  very 
shortly.  Jakey  sounded  danger  at  night, 
on  his  home-coming. 

"  Wot  do  you  s'pose  that  head  guy 
says?  "  he  confided  to  Martha  Mary,  "  that 
boss  w'ot  gives  out  the  papers?  He  says 
do  I  go  to  school  ?  I  says,  '  not  me ! ' 
An'  then  he  says  I  have  to  go.  If  I  sells 
papers  off  'n  him,  he  's  got  to  tend  to  me,  so 
I  go  to  school.  He  made  like  he  was  sore 
about  it." 

"  Well,  what  for  did  you  say,  '  not 
me '  ?  "  snapped  the  sister.  "  Why  did  n't 
you  say,  not  yet?  It 's  always  better  when 

39 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

you  say  not  yet,  about  most  anything.  You 
ain't  got  no  —  no  —  no  respectableness.'' 

Jakey,  realizing  his  limitations,  forebore 
comment,  only  asking  meekly: 

"  What  am  I  goin'  to  tell  him  when  he 
comes  at  me  again  ?  " 

"  Tell  him  ? "  Martha  Mary  pondered 
deeply.  "  Tell  him  you  're  extry  busy, 
whilst  yer  pa 's  out  of  town.  Tell  him 
that  just  as  soon  as  yer  pa  gets  back,  you  're 
a-goin'  to  start  in." 

"  But  you  said  pa  was  n't  comin'  back," 
demurred  Jacob  Christopher. 

Martha  Mary  stuck  out  her  chin,  flounced 
across  the  floor  to  where  Sunshine  and 
George  Johnny  were  having  a  mix-up,  shook 
them  apart,  shook  each  one  separately,  and 
then,  passing  casually  by  the  dejected  Jakey, 
she  deigned  to  remark: 

"  You  don't  know  he  ain't,  do  you  ? 
Well!" 

But  Martha  Mary  was- permitted  to  use 
her  own  skill  in  steering  around  shoal  Num 
ber  Two.  It  arrived  late  one  afternoon, 
buttoned  rotundly  into  a  blue  coat,  and  it 
40 


BRASS  BUTTONS  AND  FINE  LADIES 

was  formally  known  as  the  truant  officer. 
This  ominous  person  inquired  for  the  pa 
ternal  Blatzenfelds. 

"  They  're  out  just  now,"  smiled  Martha 
Mary,  with  a  discerning  eye  to  the  brass 
buttons.  "  Won't  you  take  a  chair  ?  " 

The  portly  gentleman  glanced  at  the  two 
chairs,  one  minus  a  back,  the  other  lacking 
a  leg,  and  not  appearing  to  consider  either 
of  them  worth  the  taking,  continued  to 
stand  uncompromisingly  by  the  door. 

"  Have  you  been  attending  school  ?  "  was 
his  next  question. 

"  I  could  n't  go  to-day,"  explained 
Martha  Mary.  "  Ma  ain't  been  feeling  real 
well." 

"  You  have  a  brother,  have  n't  you  ?  " 
continued  that  relentless  man.  "  Is  he  in 
school?" 

"  He  ain't  got  started  yet,"  admitted  the 
girl.  She  was  apparently  very  busy  over 
the  baby,  shaking  up  his  bedding  and  ad 
justing  him  with  solicitude,  though  he  had 
been  making  not  the  smallest  disturbance. 
Now  she  lifted  him  from  the  perambulator 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

into  her  arms  and  came  to  a  stand  before 
her  visitor. 

"  You  see,  we  ain't  been  moved  here  so 
very  long,"  she  volunteered.  "  I  Ve  got 
another  brother  and  a  sister,  too,  both 
younger.  They  're  just  crazy  to  go  to 
school  soon 's  they  're  old  enough,"  she 
finished,  brightly. 

"  Well,  you  tell  your  mother  that  you 
two  older  children  must  start  right  away, 
over  here  at  Burbank,  on  D  street ;  and  you 
must  attend  regularly." 

"  Yes,  sir."  Martha  Mary's  tone  was 
obedient  and  respectful.  At  the  same  time 
she  tickled  the  baby  and  kissed  him.  He 
gurgled  with  laughter,  throwing  himself 
back  in  her  arms  until  even  the  truant  offi 
cer  melted. 

"  Nice  baby,"  he  said,  and  smiled.  "  Now 
don't  forget." 

"  No,  sir,"  said  Martha  Mary. 

"  A  p'liceman  was  here,"  was  her  way  of 
breaking  the  news  to  Jakey. 

"  A  cop  ?  w'ot  for  ?  "  Jacob  Christopher 
was  in  dismay. 

42 


BRASS  BUTTONS  AND  FINE  LADIES 

"  No,  not  a  real  cop;  just  a  school  p'lice- 
man." 

"  Aw,  I  ain't  a-goin'  to  no  school." 

As  suddenly  Martha  Mary  tacked. 

"  Now  Jacob  Christopher  Blatzenf eld ! 
Do  you  want  to  grow  up  without  a  lick  of 
education  ?  I  don't  guess  you  'd  need  to 
go  all  the  time.  Just  a  day  or  two  oncet 
in  a  while,  to  be  polite.  That  fat  man 
looked  real  good-natured.  I  guess  one  or 
two  days  a  week  would  do  him.  Some 
body  's  got  to  go ;  that 's  a  cinch.  An'  when 
you  're  away,  I  can  skip  over  from  Hink- 
stein's  every  little  bit  and  get  a  peek  at  the 
kids.  Wisht  she  'd  let  me  take  'em  over 
there,  but  I  don't  dast  ask  her." 

Accordingly  Martha  Mary  "  skipped  " 
between  Hinkstein's  and  her  own  abode, 
warily,  lest  Mrs.  Hinkstein  should  discover 
her  absences.  Meanwhile  Jakey  enrolled 
himself  as  a  pupil  at  Burbank.  But  even 
this  strenuous  effort  to  meet  the  municipal 
demands  was  unavailing. 

Jakey  had  acquired  a  deep-seated  dis 
taste  for  school  in  the  town  of  their  earlier 

43 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

residence.  He  now  developed  an  insatiable 
desire  to  tend  the  baby,  and  Martha  Mary 
wearied  of  a  combat  which  had  to  be  fought 
anew  every  morning.  Moreover,  Happy 
was  ailing,  and  Sunshine  and  George 
Johnny  knew  no  arts  to  quiet  him.  One 
morning,  after  a  long  night  which  he  had 
made  intolerable  by  continued  protests 
against  some  infant  pain  of  uncertain  loca 
tion,  he  was  fretting  dismally  in  Jakey's 
arms,  when  there  came  a  tap  at  the  door. 

Martha  Mary  stopped  the  clatter  of  her 
preparations  for  departure  and  uttered  a 
warning,  "  Shut  up ! "  The  tap  came 
again,  polite  but  not  to  be  denied.  In 
stantly  Martha  Mary  dived  into  the  shop 
and  closed  the  door  after  her,  leaving  a  just 
discernible  crack  through  which  she  whis 
pered,  "  Now  don't  you  tell  nothin'." 

Jakey  stared  in  dismay ;  then,  as  his  sister 
thrust  out  an  arm  and  beckoned  him  to  ac 
tion,  he  gathered  up  Happy  into  a  much 
soiled  bundle,  and  went  to  the  door. 

It  opened  upon  two  ladies,  suave  and 
silken,  the  perfume  of  whose  garments 
44 


BRASS  BUTTONS  AND  FINE  LADIES 

flavored  oddly  the  kitchen's  stale  air.  They 
entered  with  a  gracious  self-possession,  hav 
ing  had  previous  experience  as  volunteer 
probation  officers  in  this  sort  of  visitation. 
Mentioning  that  they  had  chosen  this  time 
for  their  call  as  being  most  favorable  for 
finding  Mrs.  Blatzenfeld,  they  were  sorry 
indeed  to  hear  that  she  was  not  at  home. 
They  had  been  more  sorry  to  hear  of  Jacob's 
absence  from  school.  The  boy  maintained 
a  discreet  silence,  while  he  reflected  upon  the 
baby's  inconsiderate  conduct  in  choosing 
just  this  season  to  have  a  painful  night. 
The  ladies  gracefully  pursued  their  ques 
tions,  to  which  Jakey  answered,  yes,  or  no, 
according  as  he  fancied  that  he  read  their 
wishes;  squirming,  meanwhile,  with  such 
vigor  as  to  endanger  the  safety  of  the  baby. 
His  docility  they  found  genuinely  pleas 
ing.  Jakey  did  not  look  at  all  a  bad  boy; 
they  agreed  about  that,  but  he  was  evidently 
very  nervous.  There  must  be  a  reason  for 
the  nervousness.  One  of  the  ladies  felt 
sure  she  discovered  the  reason  in  the  at- 
mosphere  of  greasy  cooking  which  pervaded 

45 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

the  room.  (Martha  Mary's  cooking  was 
peculiarly  productive  of  atmosphere.) 
They  concluded  that  the  boy  was  not  prop 
erly  nourished.  It  was  a  pity!  Such  a 
bright  little  fellow!  They  discussed  him 
with  a  complete  unconsciousness  of  his  pres 
ence. 

They  also  discussed  the  baby,  Sunshine 
and  George  Johnny.  The  little  girl  had 
retired  to  a  corner  from  which  she  glow 
ered  at  the  visitors,  but  George  Johnny,  in 
sweet  placidity,  leaned  wide-eyed  upon  one 
lady's  silken  knee,  not  minding  in  the  least 
that  she  spread  her  handkerchief  under  his 
hands.  He  would  gladly  have  joined  in  the 
conversation,  and  would  probably  have  con 
tributed  more  than  did  Jakey.  But  when 
his  lady  questioned  whether  there  were 
other  children,  and  he  responded,  "  Thither 
theeth  thkipped  inth  the  thtore,"  his  un 
conquerable  lisp  effectually  prevented  any 
awkward  disclosures,  and  Martha  Mary  re 
mained  undiscovered. 

Finally  the  ladies  rose  and  departed,  with 
smiling  leave-takings,  shaking  hands  with 
46 


BRASS  BUTTONS  AND  FINE  LADIES 

Jakey  and  flapping  George  Johnny's  limp 
and  dingy  little  paw,  while  they  assured  the 
elder  brother  that  they  knew  he  realized 
now  the  importance  of  regular  attendance 
at  school ;  that  they  were  positive  he  meant 
to  be  a  very  good  boy.  To  all  of  which 
Jakey  assented  with  a  relieved,  though 
somewhat  sheepish,  grin. 

As  the  door  closed  upon  the  last  smile, 
Martha  Mary  pirouetted  into  the  room. 
"  Snoopy,  snoopy,  snoopy !  "  she  derided, 
mincing  along  with  her  dress  lifted  daintily. 
"Humph!  I  can  smell  'em  yet!" 

"  Wot  you  skip  out  for  ?  "  demanded 
Jakey,  with  a  sense  of  savage  injury. 

"Idiot!  wo't  for  you  s'pose?  If  these 
here  swells  are  goin'  to  keep  on  droppin'  in, 
I  guess  we  '11  all  skip  out.  Gee !  I  got  to 
go.  Mis'  Hinkstein  '11  be  havin'  a  fit." 


47 


CHAPTER  V 

A  FLITTING 

THE  premonitions  of  Martha  Mary 
were  not  unfounded,  though  the  next 
caller  was  hardly  a  swell.  He  was  a  much 
more  serious  menace  in  the  shape  of  Eizen- 
stein,  the  landlord,  who  took  this  unfortu 
nate  time  to  drop  in  and  demand  his  next 
month's  rent.  Being  offered,  by  Martha 
Mary,  the  ever  useful  excuse  that  her  father 
and  mother  were  out,  he  inexorably  re 
turned  the  next  day ;  and,  receiving  the  same 
answer,  waxed  threatening. 

"Oudt,  is  it?  Veil,  that  leetle  game,  it 
vill  not  vork.  I  ben  coming  again  to-mor 
row,  an'  ven  the  money  it  iss  not  ready, 
effery  cent,  you  vill  be  also  oudt." 

Eizenstein  took  a  knife  from  his  pocket 

and,   opening  the  large  blade  deliberately, 

ran    his    dirty    finger   along   it.     Then    he 

sliced  a  portion  from  a  plug  of  tobacco, 

48 


A  FLITTING 

closed  his  knife  with  a  snapping  click  and, 
giving  the  children  a  parting  scowl,  went 
scuffling  away  in  his  carpet  slippers. 
Martha  Mary,  lugging  Happy  in  her  arms 
stood,  meanwhile,  in  the  doorway,  the  two 
brothers  and  the  smaller  sister  watching 
their  departing  caller  over  the  top  of  the 
baby's  head. 

When  he  had  disappeared  from  sight, 
big  sister  transferred  her  burden  to  the 
arms  of  Jacob  Christopher.  "  Here,  you 
mind  him  an'  the  kids.  I  got  to  go  away 
—  on  business,"  she  completed  importantly. 

An  hour  later  the  stomachs  of  the 
hungry  brood  gave  an  added  twinge  of  ex 
pectation,  as  Martha  Mary's  dilapidated 
shoes  came  slapping  up  the  back  steps. 

"  I  've  found  the  Jim-dandy  place,  Jake," 
she  exulted.  "  It 's  that  little  house  we  saw 
when  we  was  down  coal  pickin'  by  the  rail 
road.  Nobody  ain't  lived  there  lately.  I 
ast  a  woman.  We  're  goin'  to  move, 
straight  off." 

She  began  to  fly  about  the  place,  catching 
up  here  and  there  an  article  which  the  father 
49 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

and  mother  had  not  thought  salable. 
Everything  she  flung  at  a  pile  she  was  ac 
cumulating  in  the  middle  of  the  floor. 
This  was  a  good  game.  Sunshine  and 
George  Johnny  fell  to,  and  threw  things  in 
various  directions  with  enthusiasm.  Jakey 
put  the  baby  down  with  the  other  house 
hold  necessities  and  made  for  the  outside. 

"  I  '11  go  tell  Mis'  Kelly,"  he  called  back. 

"  No,  you  don't,  Jake  Blatzenfeld,"  com 
manded  his  sister.  "  You  come  'ere.  We 
ain't  goin'  to  tell  Mis'  Kelly  nor  nobody, 
an'  have  that  dirty  old  Eizenstein  comin' 
after  us.  We  're  goin'  to  lead  a  better  life, 
like  pa  was  always  talkin'  about.  I  guess 
we  're  ready  to  pack  now." 

She  whirled  to  the  middle  of  the  floor 
the  old  perambulator,  and  commenced 
bundling  portions  of  the  heap  into  it.  The 
foundation  was  laid  with  some  remnants  of 
dirty  bedding;  broken  dishes  and  unwashed 
cooking  utensils  were  wedged  about ;  in  the 
midst,  on  a  sodden  pillow,  she  planted  the 
baby  and  surveyed  this  ark  of  salvation. 
"  'Tain't  quite  full,"  she  decided  as  she  stuck 
50 


A  FLITTING 

an  empty  bottle,  a  broken  egg-beater,  a  dis 
carded  corset,  and  the  handle  of  a  feather- 
less  duster  into  each  of  the  four  corners. 
Then  she  grasped  with  a  firm  hand  the 
wrecked  green  parasol,  which  dangled  like 
a  withered  burdock  leaf  at  the  back  of  the 
vehicle. 

"  There  's  one  thing  we  don't  need,"  she 
declared  with  emphasis,  as  she  flung  it  dis 
dainfully  aside.  "  Now  come  on,  all  of 
you.  You  kids  take  as  much  as  you  can 
carry  of  what 's  left,  and  we  '11  move." 

It  required  a  steady  hand  to  guide  the 
overloaded  perambulator  down  the  back 
steps,  but  Martha  Mary  combined  the  skill 
of  experience  with  the  strength  born  of  a 
high  emprise.  By  the  time  she  had  bumped 
the  vehicle  and  the  sprawling  Happy  suc 
cessfully  to  the  ground,  the  rest  of  the  fam 
ily  rallied  around  her  and  she  headed  the 
retreat  down  the  alley;  the  others,  with 
their  spoils,  stubbing  single  file  behind. 

Jacob  Christopher  bore  aloft  a  blue  glass 
lamp,  very  smoky  of  its  chimney  and  seepy 
of  its  bowl,  but  still  containing  a  useful  por- 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

tion  of  reeking  oil.  George  Johnny,  less 
mature  in  his  judgment,  carried  flapping 
against  his  knees  a  large  and  gaudy  litho 
graph,  whose  representation  of  crisp  brown 
rolls  and  pink  ham  had  inspired  the  adoring 
ardor  of  his  empty  little  stomach,  leaving 
him  oblivious  of  the  long-necked  bottle 
which  was  the  center  of  the  pictured  re 
past.  Trailing  behind  was  Sunshine,  betray 
ing  her  feminine  taste  by  clutching  to  the 
front  of  a  little  apron  glazed  with  dirt,  a 
nosegay  of  tattered  and  faded  paper 
flowers. 

"  Wot  in  the  dickens  do  you  an'  George 
Johnny  expect  to  do  with  them  things  ? " 
snapped  Martha  Mary  when,  feeling  safe 
from  pursuit,  she  slackened  her  pace  to  let 
the  rear  guard  catch  up.  "  Never  mind," 
she  promptly  comforted,  as  signs  of  incon 
venient  woe  began  to  appear  upon  two  tired 
and  dirty  little  faces  (Happy  had  been  for 
some  time  wailing  exasperatingly),  "don't 
cry  now.  Them  things  '11  help  to  make  it 
look  homelike.  I  'm  goin'  in  here  an' 
borrow  some  matches  off  this  cigar  store, 
52 


A  FLITTING 

an'  then  we  '11  hurry  up.  It 's  gettin'  late." 
Once  more  on  its  way,  the  straggling 
line  passed  through  rapidly  darkening 
streets.  They  stumbled  over  the  rotting 
blocks  of  cedar  pavements,  where  ill- 
smelling  puddles,  reflecting  the  infrequent 
electric  lamps,  shone  bluish-white,  like 
pieces  of  metal.  The  lights  only  served  to 
emphasize  the  ever-increasing  squalor,  and 
presently  the  children  came  out  upon  a  par 
tially  open  space,  with  a  few  strange  shan 
ties  cowering  along  the  railroad  tracks ; 
crazy  structures,  cobbled  together  out  of  the 
flotsam  of  the  turbulent  city.  In  two  or 
three  of  these  hovels,  sickly  lights  were 
beginning  to  glimmer. 

"If  only  somebody  ain't  rented  our  house 
a'ready,"  observed  Martha  Mary  anx 
iously.  But  no  gleam  shone  from  the  ruin 
ous  little  shack  to  which  the  elder  sister 
guided  her  family.  She  pushed  open  the 
dragging  door  and  they  trooped  after  her, 
unafraid,  into  the  dim  and  musty  interior, 
their  bare  feet  pat-patting  over  the  worn 
boards. 

S3 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

"  Here  we  are!  "  she  cried  jubilantly,  as 
she  struck  a  match.  "  Bring  the  lamp, 
here,  Jakey."  They  set  up  their  smoky  al 
tar  light  upon  an  old  box  in  one  corner,  after 
which  Martha  Mary  hunted  out  a  tin  can 
from  beneath  the  sleeping  baby,  and  sharply 
bidding  them  all  stay  right  where  they  were 
till  she  returned,  she  whisked  out  of  the 
door.  She  came  back  with  the  can  slopping 
over  with  water,  produced  from  some  place 
of  concealment  a  greasy  paper  sack,  and 
emptied  its  contents  into  a  vegetable  dish. 
Supper  was  served.  The  food  was  a  con 
glomerate  mass  of  scraps,  but  the  children 
set  about  fishing  contentedly  for  the  most 
recognizable  bits,  and  eating  with  sounds  of 
greedy  zest.  Martha  Mary  awakened 
Happy  by  thrusting  into  his  mouth  a  small, 
soft  portion  and  gave  him  some  of  the  liquid 
from  the  can  to  drink. 

During  their  sister's  absence  the  family 
had  been  settling.  Jakey  had  lifted  the 
baby  and  the  bedding  into  a  much-mixed 
heap  at  the  side  of  the  room.  From  a 
broken  jug  Sunshine's  pink  paper  flowers 
54 


A  FLITTING 

bloomed  rakishly.  George  Johnny  had 
found  a  rusty  nail  in  the  crumbling  plaster 
upon  which  to  impale  his  lithograph,  and 
the  crisp,  brown  rolls,  the  pink  ham  and  the 
lurking  golden  bottle  glowed  in  complacent 
color  upon  the  supper  of  broken  leavings. 

"Ain't  this  the  Jim-dandy  place?" 
Martha  Mary  exulted  again,  as  she  looked 
about  the  dirty  room,  whose  half-lit  corners 
were  filled  with  the  discarded  rubbish  of 
former  occupants.  She  seemed  too  much 
elated  to  eat  her  share  of  the  food,  which 
she  was  portioning  out  to  the  others  while 
her  tongue  ran  gaily  on.  "  Here  's  where 
we  can  house-keep  and  nobody  to  bother 
us.  I'm  the  mother  o'  this  housekeepin,' 
an'  you  Ve  got  to  be  the  father,  Jakey  Blat- 
zenfeld."  She  surveyed  Jacob  Christopher 
with  an  estimating  eye,  never  having  con 
sidered  him  before  in  this  capacity.  "  I 
wisht  you  was  bigger  for  a  father.  A 
bigger  father  looks  better;  a  bigger  father 
is  better." 

She  shook  out  the  end  of  a  ragged  com 
forter  with  a  flap  that  sent  drab  wads  of 
55 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

cotton  flying,  and  spread  it  along  the  wall. 
"  You,  Sunshine  an'  George  Johnny,  come 
'ere  an'  lay  down." 

The  two  viewed  these  preparations  for 
the  night,  then  the  boy  raised  his  voice  in 
protest.  "  I  'm  hungry  yet,"  he  howled. 

"  Now,  now,"  expostulated  Martha 
Mary,  at  the  same  time  hustling  them 
briskly  toward  their  couch,  "  you  ain't 
neither  hungry,  and  if  you  are,  you  won't 
know  it  after  you  get  to  sleep.  You  lay 
down  an'  be  good  an'  to-morrow,  or  mebbe 
the  day  after,  Jakey  an'  me  '11  take  you  on 
our  weddin'  trip." 

"  Weddin'  trip  ?  "  echoed  the  newly  ap 
pointed  father,  whose  duller  wit  lagged  ever 
in  the  wake  of  Martha  Mary's  skipping 
fancy. 

"  Yes,  weddin'  trip,"  she  snapped  with 
truly  conjugal  asperity,  adding  in  a  lowered 
tone :  "  The  kids  'ud  like  it  fine,  an'  they 
got  to  have  somep'n  to  look  forward  to." 

But  even  the  anticipation  of  such  an 
unique  pleasure  was  hardly  sufficient  to  sus 
tain  the  Blatzenfelds  through  the  days  that 
56 


AFLITTING 

followed.  Wan  days  they  were  and  empty ; 
the  little  Blatzenfelds  were  often  empty,  too, 
and  growing  every  day  more  wan.  Jakey 
was  less  resourceful  than  boys  of  his  age 
who  have  spent  all  their  brief  years  in  the 
city.  As  a  "  yeller "  of  papers  he  fully 
justified  Martha  Mary's  faith,  but  as 
a  seller  he  was  continually  outdone  by  his 
shrewd  and  wily  competitors.  The  small 
coins  he  gathered  were  small,  indeed,  to 
meet  the  needs  of  a  family. 

It  was  not  possible  for  the  elder  sister  to 
be  long  from  home.  Once  she  earned  a 
nickel  by  minding  a  baby  while  its  mother 
went  with  another  child  to  a  doctor.  Now 
and  then  a  scrap  of  food  came  from  some 
of  the  neighbors  in  the  huddling  shanties, 
but  they  had  pitifully  little  to  give.  Martha 
Mary  talked  a  great  deal  now  about  the 
wedding  trip.  Sunshine  and  George 
Johnny  submitted  to  having  their  faces 
washed  to  make  ready  for  it;  they  went  to 
bed  early  that  they  might  wake  up  in  time 
to  start;  they  stopped  crying  on  instant 
peril  of  losing  it  forever.  Martha  Mary 
57 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

kept  it  dancing  ahead  of  them,  a  shining 
ignis  fatuus;  even  Jacob  had  come  almost 
to  believe  in  it. 

But  Martha  Mary's  little  face  had  grown 
old. 


CHAPTER  VI 

TREASURE  TROVE 

'TTTOILD-HOILD,  Bee  ur  News!" 
VV  rasped  the  husky  voice  of  Jakey 
Blatzenfeld.  A  diminutive  gray  figure,  in 
the  gray  rain,  he  stood  at  the  bank  corner 
on  the  glistening  walk,  and  tried  his  chant 
ing  call  in  different  keys,  but  always  it 
proved  only  a  futile  croak,  quite  undiscern- 
ible  above  the  noises  of  the  street.  There 
was  the  wet  clok-clok  of  hoofs  on  the  shiny 
pavements;  there  was  the  clangor  of  the 
car  gongs ;  there  was  a  vicious  snapping  and 
tearing  of  violet  fire  along  the  dripping 
trolley  wires;  there  was  a  spluttering  dash 
from  under  whirling  wheels  along  the  rainy 
tracks;  there  were  churnings  and  snortings 
and  yowlings  of  automobiles  whose  fat 
tires  scudded  up  a  slush  of  mud  and  water. 
It  was  a  rainy  June  and  Jakey  standing 
at  his  post  soaked  to  the  skin  in  the  chill 
59 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

showers  had  taken  a  cold  which  promptly 
attached  itself  to  his  overworked  vocal 
organs.  His  yell,  that  one  pride  and  ac 
complishment,  was  gone.  To  be  sure,  he 
still  disposed  of  papers.  The  bundle  of 
freshly  printed  sheets  under  his  arm,  his 
numbered  badge,  his  appealing  size  and  his 
good-natured,  wistful  little  face,  conducted 
his  business  for  him,  almost  as  effectively 
as  his  vociferous  shoutings  had  done.  But 
Jakey's  was  the  soul  of  the  artist  and  the 
zest  of  his  work  had  vanished.  He 
drooped  like  a  fledgling  rooster,  who  has 
swelled  himself  out  for  a  cock-a-doodle- 
doo!  and  finds  himself  emitting  a  ludicrous 
and  grating  squawk. 

In  impotent  mortification  Jakey  scuffled 
along  the  street,  and  as  he  returned  to  his 
station  close  to  the  curb,  not  even  looking 
up  for  possible  patrons,  his  eye  caught  a 
gleam  under  the  sodden  trash  in  the  gutter. 
Listlessly  he  stepped  down  and  kicked  the 
rubbish  with  his  muddy  toes.  The  next 
moment  he  had  made  a  sudden  grab  and 
then  scuttled  for  a  sheltering  doorway. 
60 


TREASURE  TROVE 

Here  he  held  his  hand  under  his  jacket 
and  looked  again.  It  was!  It  was  a 
watch!  Round  and  golden,  with  the  slen 
der  thread  of  a  dull  metal  chain  still  hang 
ing  broken  from  its  ring,  the  timepiece 
shone  in  his  eyes  as  big  as  a  full  moon. 
With  trembling  fingers  he  tied  the  chain 
together,  ducked  his  head  through  the  loop 
and  slid  the  watch  into  his  trousers'  pocket. 
Then  he  gathered  up  his  slab  of  papers  and 
went  back  to  his  corner  in  a  daze. 

"Got  a  News,  kid?"  asked  a  man's 
voice  above  him. 

"  Nope,"  answered  Jakey. 

"  Yes,  you  have.  You  little  blockhead !  " 
and  a  hand  twitched  a  paper  off  the  top 
of  the  pile  and  held  out  a  penny. 

Jakey  accepted  the  copper  and  idly  held 
it  in  a  lax  hand.  What  was  a  copper  when 
a  gold  watch  was  ticking  against  his  leg? 
He  pressed  his  palm  tight  over  its  round 
hardness,  put  his  hand  in  and  felt  its  smooth 
case,  held  open  his  pocket  and  looked 
within,  till  he  caught  the  yellow  shine,  then 
he  started  down  the  street.  He  would  turn 
61 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

in  what  remained  of  his  papers;  it  was  too 
late,  anyhow,  to  make  sales.  Ten  minutes 
after  he  climbed  on  the  back  platform  of 
a  passing  car.  The  conductor  would  order 
him  off  as  soon  as  he  got  around  to  it,  but 
by  that  time  Jakey  would  be  several  blocks 
nearer  home.  Either  through  kindness  or 
carelessness  the  conductor  did  not  look  at 
him  until  he  swung  off  a  few  squares  from 
his  own  corner. 

Martha  Mary  saw  him  coming,  and  fears 
of  a  lost  job  assailed  her.  "  How  'd  you 
get  back  so  early  ?  "  was  her  anxious  greet 
ing. 

Excitement  was  spurring  Jakey's  brain 
to  unusual  activity.  He  executed  a  grand 
flourish. 

"Early?"  he  questioned  with  an  air  of 
elaborate  nonchalance  to  which  his  hoarse 
ness  gave  a  most  weird  effect.  "  Is  it 
early?  Now  leave  me  take  a  look  at  the 
time!" 

He  tried  to  draw  out  the  watch  with  the 
careless  ease  of  habit,  but  only  succeeded 
in  getting  hold  of  the  chain.  So,  instead 
62 


TREASURE  TROVE 

of  regarding  the  face  gravely,  as  he  had 
intended,  he  held  up  his  treasure  dangling, 
and  grinned  at  Martha  Mary. 

She  made  one  dash  and  grabbed  it. 

"  Jee-rusy-lam-gosh !  "  she  ejaculated. 
"  Who  give  it  to  you  ?  Where  'd  you  git 
it?  Is  it  real?" 

"  Real !  'Course  not.  I  got  it  off  'n  a 
prize  box  of  gum  drops." 

"  'Tis,  too,  real !  "  Martha  Mary  was 
holding  it  to  her  ear  while  George  Johnny 
and  Sunshine  pulled  at  her  arm  and  clam 
ored  for  a  nearer  view. 

"Where  did  you  git  it,  Jakey?"  she 
pleaded. 

"  I  picked  it  out  'n  some  dirty  papers  in 
the  gutter.  Here,  leave  me  have  it  back !  " 

But  his  sister  had  looped  the  chain  over 
her  neck  and  now  paced  tiltingly  up  and 
down  the  floor,  humming  a  tune,  while  she 
gazed  first  at  the  back  of  the  watch,  then 
at  its  face.  Suddenly  her  mood  changed. 

"  Did  anybody  see  you  git  it  ?  "  She 
stopped  to  peer  solicitously  into  Jakey's 
face. 

63 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

"  Naw,  they  did  n't."  The  boy  waxed 
belligerent.  "  You  give  it  here  now !  " 

The  girl  was  unheeding.  "  How  much 
do  you  s'pose  it 's  worth  ?  I  bet  it  was 
awful  costly." 

Such  observations  did  not  meet  with 
Jakey's  favor.  "  I  ain't  a-goin'  to  sell  it," 
he  whined,  and  being  half  sick  from  his  cold 
and  wholly  exasperated  by  his  sister's  be 
havior,  his  exhilaration  dropped  from  him 
and  he  began  to  cry. 

"  Bawly  ba-aby !  "  mocked  Martha  Mary, 
then  relenting  suddenly,  "  Here,  take  yer 
ole  watch.  I  gotta  go  get  somepin'  for 
supper.  D'ye  make  anythin'  to-day  ?  " 

Jakey  turned  out  his  pockets  and  Martha 
Mary  departed  for  the  grocery,  but  before 
she  left  she  halted  in  the  doorway  to  issue 
orders. 

"  You,  Sunshine  and  George  Johnny, 
don't  -  you  -  never  -  tell  -  hope  -  to  -  die  - 
an'  -  spit,  that  Jakey  never  found  nothin', 
nowheres.  An'  you,  Jake  Blatzenfeld,  you 
put  that  watch  up  on  the  shelf  under  that 
washbasin,  or  before  I  git  back  the  kids  '11 
64 


TREASURE  TROVE 

smash  it,  or  the  baby  '11  swallow  it,  or  you  '11 
lose  it  somewheres  yourself.  An'  then 
you  '11  have  to  go  to  jail." 

With  which  comforting  prophecy  con 
cerning  the  results  of  wealth,  Martha  Mary 
banged  the  door  behind  her. 

That  night,  for  the  first  time,  the  little 
Blatzenfelds  experienced  the  uneasiness 
which  accompanies  possessions.  What  if 
the  watch  should  be  stolen!  They  hid  it 
under  a  snarl  of  rags  in  the  corner,  and  at 
once  imagined  something  suspicious  in  the 
arrangement  of  those  rags,  something  which 
would  attract  the  most  stupid  of  burglars 
immediately.  But  when  they  had  stowed  it 
away  in  a  hole  under  the  floor,  they  were  no 
better  satisfied.  Finally  Jakey  insisted  upon 
taking  it  to  bed  with  him,  putting  it  inside 
his  shirt  and  folding  his  arms  tightly  across 
his  chest  to  insure  against  robbery. 

Martha  Mary  did  not  long  combat  this 
project,  but  she  kept  awake  until  the  folded 
arms  dropped  with  slumber.  Then  she  se 
cured  the  prize  herself  and  essayed  to  sleep 
on  it.  She  was  not  comfortable.  It  was 
65 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

astonishing  what  a  big  lump  the  watch 
made,  in  a  bed  not  remarkable  for  smooth 
ness.  But  the  girl  finally  succumbed  to 
sheer  weariness,  only  to  start  awake  again 
from  terrifying  dreams,  and  to  find  that 
Jakey,  also,  was  tossing  and  talking  in  his 
sleep.  She  sat  up  and  looked  at  him  as  he 
lay  in  the  blue  gleam  of  a  distant  arc  light 
which  pierced  the  window.  About  his  neck 
was  a  rag  soaked  in  kerosene  which,  de 
spite  his  protests,  she  had  tied  on  him  for 
the  benefit  of  his  cold. 

"  I  bet  that  coal  oil  is  bitin'  somepin' 
fierce,"  she  thought,  as  she  watched  him 
twist  and  turn.  Sighing  wearily  she  lay 
down  again,  but  fell  asleep  only  to  waken 
and  search  once  more  for  the  watch,  which 
seemed  to  go  burrowing  about  like  a  mole, 
the  moment  her  hand  was  not  on  it. 

It  was  with  great  reluctance,  the  next 
morning,  that  Jakey  relinquished  his  expec 
tations  of  wearing  the  watch.  Where  was 
the  use  of  a  thing  like  that  if  you  could  n't 
take  it  with  you  to  dazzle  your  associates? 
He  and  Martha  Mary  quarreled  on  that 
66 


TREASURE  TROVE 

point    until    he    departed,    vanquished    but 
sulky.     He  returned  in  a  still  worse  humor. 

"Wo'd  I  tell  you,  now!  That  watch's 
gone  been  advertised.  The  kids  was  readin' 
in  the  paper.  '  Gee ! '  says  Binky,  '  lost 
'tween  i6th  and  i/th  streets,  an'  me 
a-goin'  up  an'  down  there  every  day! ' 

"An'  you  tole,  I  bet!" 

"  Naw,  I  never.  Wot  was  the  use,  with 
me  nothin'  to  show  ?  They  'd  'a'  give  me 
the  laugh  on  that.  Here  's  the  paper  where 
it  says  about  it." 

Martha  Mary  spelled  out  the  brief  notice, 
one  word  at  a  time,  until  she  came  to  the 
last.  "  Whoopee !  Jakey,  listen  at  that. 
Fi'  dollars  ree  —  ward !  Fi'  dollars !  " 

"  Yep,  I  know,"  said  Jacob  Christopher 
condescendingly.  "  But  Binky  he  said  fi' 
dollars  wa'  n't  nothin'  fer  a  watch.  He 
said  some  watches  was  worth  twenty-fi'  dol 
lars.  He  said  as  how  if  he  found  that 
watch  he  was  goin'  to  sell  it  an'  buy  a  pop 
corn  wagon.  He  said  he  bet  he  could  git  a 
wagon  with  a  horse,  maybe.  He  said  he 
could  git  one  with  a  gong,  anyhow." 
67 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

"  Yep,  I  bet  we  could.  We  could  run  a 
pop-corn  wagon.  You  could  drive  an' 
make  the  gong  go,  an'  I  could  shake  the 
corn.  The  kids  could  ride  along. 
Would  n't  that  be  great?  " 

"  You  bet !  Le  's  go  sell  it  now.  I  bet 
Dittenheimer  'd  buy  it.  Down  where  it 
says,  *  Joolery  an'  House  Furnishin's '." 
Jakey  was  on  fire  with  anticipation. 

But  something  deterred  Martha  Mary. 

"  He  '11  ask  where  we  got  it,  that 's  what 
he'll  do!  Then  what  ye  goin'  to  say?" 

"  Aw,  I  '11  tell  him  paw  guv  it  to  me." 

"He'd  b'lieve  that,  wouldn't  he?" 
sneered  the  sister.  "  Dittenheimer  knowed 
paw." 

"  Well,  le  's  go  ask  somebody." 

Martha  Mary  regarded  him  with  the  long- 
suffering  asperity  of  superior  years.  "  I 
never  did  see  no  such  a  boy !  I  bet  you  '11 
bust  plum  wide  open  if  you  don't  git  a 
chanc't  to  show  off  that  watch.  Can't  you 
be  satisfied  to  own  a  gole  watch  an'  chain? 
It 's  more  'n  mos'  kid  's  got." 

No,  Jakey  was  far  from  satisfied;  but 
68 


TREASURE  TROVE 

compared  with  Martha  Mary's  state  of 
mind  his  mental  attitude  was  peace  itself. 
Long  after  he  was  asleep  that  night  his 
sister  lay  awake  smothered  by  a  "black  and 
sickening  sense  of  guilt;  that  unreasoning, 
rayless  terror  known  only  to  childhood. 

For  the  first  time  Martha  Mary  missed 
her  mother.  Yet  it  was  not  at  all  the  list 
less,  silent,  drink-sodden  woman  who  had 
deserted  her  children,  of  whom  the  girl  was 
thinking.  She  could  quite  well  remember 
when  mother  had  been  different.  Before 
poverty  and  drink,  the  drain  of  child-bear 
ing,  and  the  foolish  improvidence  of  An 
tonio  had  put  upon  her  the  stamp  of  utter 
hopelessness,  Mrs.  Blatzenfeld  had  been 
used  to  take  thought  of  her  little  ones. 
Martha  Mary's  earlier  years  had  known 
motherly  care  and  instruction,  and  it  was 
those  years  which  now  bore  fruit  in  a  vivid 
conviction  of  wrong-doing. 

The  watch  was  theirs  no  longer.     It  was 

the  property  of  that  unknown  "  A.  R.  Q." 

who  had  advertised.     Why  had  Binky  ever 

nosed  out  that  mean  little  item  in  the  paper  ? 

69 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

If  they  had  sold  the  watch  at  once  it  would 
have  been  all  right,  but  if  they  sold  it  now, 
they  would  be  stealers.  That  word  brought 
with  it  a  troop  of  fears  sufficient  to  keep 
Martha  Mary  rolling  back  and  forth  in  the 
tumbled  bedding  till  she  was  quite  worn 
out. 

But  in  spite  of  weariness  her  eyes  opened 
again  with  the  first  grayness  of  morning. 
Then,  when  her  distress  had  taken  shape 
once  more,  she  shook  Jakey  awake. 

"  Jakey,  git  up  here !  We  got  somepin' 
to  do.  You  know  what 's  goin'  to  happen 
to  us,  when  we  don't  git  that  watch  back 
right  away?  " 

"  Quit !  Lemme  be !  "  The  boy  struck 
at  her  and  rolled  out  of  her  reach,  closing 
his  eyes  tighter,  but  she  pursued  him. 

"  The  cops  '11  be  after  us.  The  cops, 
d'ye  hear?" 

Well  she  knew  the  power  of  that  word 
with  her  brother.  He  struggled  to  a  sitting 
posture,  gouging  his  eyes  malevolently 
with  black  fists. 

"Wha'ssa  matter?  What  cops?  What 
70 


TREASURE  TROVE 

you  talkin'  'bout  anyhow?"  he  mumbled. 

"  'Bout  that  gole  watch  an'  chain.  Can't 
you  see  that  if  '  A.  R.  Q.'  is  a-advertisin' 
for  it,  he  wants  it,  an'  he  's  going  to  fin'  out 
where  it 's  at  ?  Somebody  saw  you  pick 
that  up." 

"  Naw,  they  didn',  neither !  "  interrupted 
the  boy. 

"  Course  you  didn'  see  'em  saw  you,  but 
they  saw  you  all  the  same.  They  must  of, 
with  all  them  people  on  the  streets.  An' 
that  '  A.  R.  Q.'  he  's  goin'  to  fin'  us  and  fin' 
that  watch,  an'  then  we  '11  all  have  to  go  to 
jail  fer  keepin'  it." 

"Aw!"  Jakey  strove  to  make  his  tone 
contemptuous  but  his  sister's  prophecies 
were  telling  on  him.  She  pursued  her  ad 
vantage. 

"  Yessir,  most  likely  they  '11  be  here  after 
us  to-day." 

Jakey  weakened.  "  I'm  sick  of  the  durn 
ole  watch,  anyhow.  I  '11  take  it  back  an' 
lose  it  where  I  foun'  it.  Let  Binky  fin'  it 
ef  he  wants  to.  He  's  a-huntin'  it.  An' 
then  see  what  the  cops  '11  do  to  him !  " 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

"  That  'd  be  just  like  you ;  go  throwin' 
away  a  perfeckly  good  watch.  We  '11  an 
swer  that  advertisement,  of  course,  an'  git 
that  fV  dollars." 

"  All  right,"  acquiesced  Jakey  with  an 
alacrity  equal  to  his  former  reluctance. 
"  How  we  goin'  to  do  it  ?  " 

Martha  Mary  considered. 

"  Wy  jus'  do  it.  On  the  paper  it  says, 
'A-dress  "A.  R.  Q.,"  care  Worl'-HeralV 
That  means  write  a  letter." 

"  You  goin'  to  write  a  letter,  Martha 
Mary?  "  Jakey's  tone  was  awed. 

"  Course  I  be.  You  come  'long  an'  help, 
'fore  the  kids  wakes  up." 

While  the  morning  light  was  growing 
steel-blue  in  the  room,  the  two  children 
smoothed  out  a  portion  of  a  paper  sack, 
on  one  side  of  the  table,  and  set  to  work 
with  the  stub  of  a  pencil  contributed  from 
Jakey's  pocket. 

"  Yu  kin  fine  yc.r  wach,"  scrawled  Martha 
Mary,  with  great  labor,  gripping  the  pencil 
with  rigid  fingers  and  sticking  out  her 
tongue. 

72 


TREASURE  TROVE 

"Where  kin  he  fin'  his  watch,  Jakey?" 
she  stopped  to  ask. 

"On  me,"  said  Jacob,  cheerily.  "I'll 
wear  it." 

"  He  'd  fin'  you  easy,  would  n't  he  ?  An' 
that  watch  'd  be  on  you  a  long  time,  one  't 
you  got  in  the  middle  of  a  bunch  of  new 
sies." 

That  last  statement  struck  Jakey  forci 
bly.  He  had  one  of  his  infrequent  ideas. 

"Tell  you  what,  I'll  leave  it  by  Mr. 
Carey.  He  's  cashier  in  that  Union  Cloth 
ing  Store,  by  the  bank.  He  buys  a  '  News  ' 
off  me  every  night,  an'  he  most  allus  gives 
me  a  nickel.  He's  white,  Mr.  Carey  is." 

Martha  Mary  considered.  "  Yep,  I 
guess  that  'd  do."  She  resumed  her  labor. 
— "  at  yimyon  stor"  She  looked  up, 
"  Now  when  '11  we  say  ?  He  's  got  to  git 
the  letter  first.  To-morrow  '11  be  time 
enough.  To-morrow  's  Saturday,  no,  Fri 
day." 

The  pencil  started  off  again. — "frydy 
nun  ast  fer  J.  Blatzenfeld." 

Reflectively  Martha  Mary  ran  the  pencil 
73 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

down  her  tongue,  making  a  black  line  along 
its  redness.  Then  she  wrote  again. 

"  Wot  ye  tellin'  'im  now  ? "  inquired 
Jakey  suspiciously. 

His  sister  read  with  pride: 

"  p  s  don't  fergit  the  reeward  2  purzent 
discount  fer  kesh." 

"Wot's  dizcount?" 

"  It 's  pay  w'en  ye  git  it.  Don't  ye 
know?  Pa  allus  put  a  sign  like  that  on 
things  in  the  winder.  Don't  you  leave  that 
'  A.  R.  Q.'  have  no  watch  neither,  till  he 
comes  across  with  the  cash." 

The  preliminaries  went  through  as 
planned,  and  on  Friday  morning  Jakey  had 
at  last  his  proud  desire;  he  wore  the  watch 
down  to  business.  Made  wary  by  his  sis 
ter's  repeated  injunctions,  he  dared  not  take 
it  from  concealment  but  called  his  papers 
unremittingly  while  he  kept  one  hand  tight 
over  the  lump  in  his  pocket.  Never  had 
any  morning  seemed  so  long  to  Jakey.  Al 
ternately  he  shifted  his  eyes  from  the  clock 
in  the  post-office  tower  to  the  entrance  of 
the  Union  Store.  Surely  Mr.  Carey  was 
74 


TREASURE  TROVE 

not  often  so  late.  But  at  last  the  well- 
known  figure  in  the  smart  gray  suit  sepa 
rated  itself  from  the  morning  crowd  of 
passing  workers  and  pushed  through  the 
swinging  doors  into  the  store.  At  once 
Jakey  started  to  follow  and  immediately 
encountered  temptation  in  the  shape  of 
Binky. 

"How  many 'd  ye  sell,  kid?"  was 
Binky's  hail.  "  Mos'  time  to  quit." 

"  Is  it  ? "  observed  Jakey,  grandly. 
"  Don't  believe  it  is  by  my  time."  Like  a 
flash  he  pulled  out  the  watch  and  let  it  glit 
ter  before  the  astounded  eyes  of  Binky. 

"Here,  you!  Where 'd  you  git  that?" 
yelled  the  older  boy,  and  he  made  a  lunge 
for  capture,  but  Jakey  had  chosen  his  place. 
He  dodged  through  the  doorway  of  the 
Union  Store,  and  not  until  he  had  shoved 
the  watch  under  the  cashier's  window  and 
into  the  hands  of  the  mildly  surprised  Mr. 
Carey,  did  he  look  back  to  find  that  Binky 
had  prudently  stopped  without,  and  now, 
through  the  glass  of  the  door,  was  making 
faces  intended  to  be  paralyzing. 

75 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

It  was  fortunate  for  Martha  Mary  that 
she  remained  in  ignorance  of  all  this.  As 
it  was,  the  day  taxed  her  patience  to  the 
breaking  point.  She  could  have  declared 
that  on  no  other  day  had  Sunshine  and 
George  Johnny  ever  bethought  themselves 
of  so  many  iniquitous  occupations.  And, 
surely,  never  had  poor,  tiny  Happy  cried 
so  unremittingly.  She  fed  him  and  walked 
with  him,  ^heeled  him  and  trotted  him, 
then  fed  him  again,  but  nothing  stilled  his 
wailing. 

Martha  Mary  was  near  to  tears  herself, 
and  her  back  and  arms  were  aching  with  a 
red-hot  pain  when,  at  last,  she  could  go  out 
and  sit  upon  the  step  to  watch  for  Jakey. 
There  was  a  boy  coming,  she  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  hurrying  figure  in  a  gap  be 
tween  two  buildings,  but  it  was  not  Jakey. 
It  was  a  well-dressed  boy,  though  something 
in  the  way  he  scrambled  along  with  ducked 
head  and  swinging  arms  reminded  her  of 
her  brother.  Now  the  boy  rounded  the 
corner,  caught  sight  of  her  and  advanced 
with  strange  whoops  and  cavortings.  It 
76 


TREASURE  TROVE 

was  Jakey,  sure  enough,  but  Jakey  in  the 
transforming  glory  of  a  new  blue  suit. 

"Gee!"  cried  Martha  Mary,  "ain't 
you  the  dead  swell !  Where  'd  you  git 
'em?" 

"Off  that  lady,  'A.  R.  Q.'"  Jakey 
straddled  about  with  his  hands  in  his  pock 
ets,  displaying  himself  at  all  angles. 
"  '  A.  R.  Q.'  wa'  n't  no  man ;  it  was  a  lady, 
a  awful  nice  lady,  too.  I  tell  you,  she  was 
glad  to  git  that  watch  back.  She  said  her 
husband  gi'n  it  to  her,  an'  he  was  dead 
now." 

"  So  it  was  her  gi'n  ye  the  clo'es  ? 
Ain't  that  fine !  Where  's  the  fi'  dollars  ?  " 

"  Fi'  dollars !  W'y  that 's  wot  bought 
the  clo'es." 

Martha  Mary  felt  something  within  her 
sink,  suddenly,  but  Jakey  went  blithely  on. 
"  They  was  cheap,  too.  They  're  a-sellin' 
'em  out  extry  special.  The  lady  an'  Mr. 
Carey  they  both  said  they  wanted  to  see  me 
spend  my  money  useful  an'  they  fitted  'em 
right  on,  then.  Don't  they  make  me  look 
the  gay  gazabo  ?  " 

77 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

"  Yep,"  his  sister's  tone  was  dull. 
"Where's  yer  ole  ones?"  she  queried. 

"  Wot  did  I  want  o'  them  ole  rags  ?  I 
lef  'em  at  the  store." 

Martha  Mary  regarded  her  brother's 
greasy  cap,  his  still  greasier  shirt  and  his 
bare  and  muddy  feet  in  contrast  to  the  bla 
tant  newness  of  his  other  attire.  She 
thought  of  the  scantily  fed  children  asleep 
within,  of  her  own  tired  arms  and  aching 
back  and  of  the  doctor  she  had  thought 
might  help  to  make  Happy  well  again. 
Five  dollars  had  seemed  capable  of  purchas 
ing  almost  anything  they  might  ever  need, 
and  now  there  was  to  be  no  five  dollars. 
She  did  not  know  that  she  was  confronting 
the  eternal  masculine,  but  the  lump  which 
rose  in  her  throat  was  so  big  that  she  got 
up  quickly  from  the  step  that  Jakey  might 
not  see  how  hard  the  lump  was  to  swallow. 
And  when  she  answered  her  brother,  it 
was  the  eternal  feminine  which  spoke  for 
her. 

"  That  suit,"  said  Martha  Mary,  "  sure 
is  awful  handsome." 

78 


TREASURE  TROVE 

"Yep,"  agreed  Jakey.  "An'  that  lady 
took  my  badge  number.  She  said  I  could 
count  on  hearin'  from  her  again,  maybe. 
She  said  there  wa'  n't  many  boys  would  of 
returned  that  watch,  same  as  me." 


79 


CHAPTER  VII 

AN   ADDITION   TO   THE   FAMILY 

TWO  small  and  anxious  countenances 
were  peering  over  the  brink  of  the 
ditch,  while  the  source  of  the  disturbance 
renewed  his  efforts,  both  muscular  and  vo 
cal. 

"  A  dog,  Georgie !  A  little  baby  dog ! 
A  white,  little  baby  dog !  "  cried  Sunshine 
in  an  ecstasy  of  excitement,  though  the  last 
added  appellation  was  rapidly  becoming  in 
appropriate,  through  the  puppy's  repeated 
backslidings  into  the  mire.  "  You  stay 
right  here,  Georgie,  and  I  '11  git  him  out." 

Sunshine  spoke  with  a  confidence  not 
unfounded,  for  of  this  ditch  she  and  George 
Johnny  knew  thoroughly  both  the  outs  and 
the  ins.  There  was  a  certain  spot  where  a 
portion  of  the  bank  had  crumbled,  leaving 
a  ledge  which  it  was  possible  to  traverse 
to  the  bottom.  Sunshine  had  made  the  trip 
80 


AN  ADDITION  TO  THE  FAMILY 

before,  through  a  pure  lust  of  adventure, 
and  now  she  started  down  without  a 
thought  but  helpfulness. 

The  white  baby  dog  began  to  whimper 
confidingly,  at  the  same  time  wading  and 
waddling  valiantly  to  meet  the  relief  expe 
dition,  and  by  the  time  Sunshine  was  on  his 
level  she  was  able  to  pull  him  into  her  arms ; 
but  the  ascent  was  more  difficult.  Even  a 
small  puppy,  when  he  is  slippery  with  mud 
and  wriggling  with  rapture,  is  an  armful 
for  five  years  old,  but  George  Johnny,  above, 
was  not  without  resource.  He  lay  on  his 
stomach  and  stretched  down  eager  arms. 

"  Puth  'im  up !  "  he  shouted.  Sunshine, 
almost  spent,  made  a  final  effort.  George 
Johnny  caught  one  of  the  dog's  legs ;  there 
was  a  general  scramble,  a  mixture  of  ex 
clamation  both  human  and  canine,  and 
George  Johnny  and  the  puppy  were  rolling 
on  the  bank,  leaving  Sunshine  to  finish  her 
ascent  in  more  deliberate  security. 

"  Ain't  he  sweet !  "  gurgled  Sunshine. 

"  Fweet !  "  chorused  George  Johnny  in 
the  most  sincere  acquiescence,  though  in- 
81 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

deed  the  reek  of  the  dog's  late  experience 
was  still  upon  him.  But  his  rescuers 
did  n't  mind  that ;  bless  you,  no !  The  fetid 
breath  of  the  drainage  ditch  was  their  nor 
mal  atmosphere.  Other  children  might 
have  died  of  it,  they  lived  immune.  Since 
their  removal  to  the  sparsely  settled  river- 
flat  the  days  of  Sunshine  and  George 
Johnny  were  uneventful  even  to  monotony. 
And  this  particular  afternoon  was  more 
than  usually  dull,  because  Martha  Mary 
had  been  absent  taking  care  of  a  family  of 
small  children  whose  mother  was  appearing 
against  the  father  in  police  court.  So  the 
advent  of  the  puppy  was  not  an  incident, 
but  an  epoch. 

Yet  as  the  day  waned,  both  children  grew 
sober  in  expectation  of  what  Martha  Mary 
would  say.  The  hours  had  been  one  long 
romp;  even  the  necessity  of  sharing  their 
lunch  with  the  dog  was  robbed  of  any  seri 
ousness  by  the  puppy's  unfamiliarity  with 
solid  food.  Though  he  whined  often  and 
emptily,  he  managed  only  a  small  portion 
of  bread  and  syrup,  and  fortunately  it  did 
82 


AN  ADDITION  TO  THE  FAMILY 

not  occur  to  them  to  give  him  the  baby's 
milk.  In  this  evidence  of  a  delicate  appe 
tite  the  children  found  encouragement,  for 
certainly  Martha  Mary  would  recognize 
the  advantage  of  that ;  they  were  concerned 
all  the  same,  to  see  her  coming. 

There  she  was,  down  the  dry  and  dusty 
length  of  the  parched  street,  near  the  place 
where  the  broken  pavement  came  to  an  end ; 
a  small  figure  with  thin  little  legs  below  a 
short  dress.  She  walked  slowly  along,  her 
body  somberly  outlined  against  a  back 
ground  of  tumbling  blackness  —  the  slug 
gish,  sooty  flood  from  the  thicket  of  smoke 
stacks  over  yonder,  among  the  jumbled  mass 
of  distant  packing  houses. 

Instantly,  as  their  sister  came  into  view, 
Sunshine  grasped  the  hand  of  George 
Johnny,  for  without  that  precautionary  link 
they  never  ventured  beyond  their  own  pre 
cincts.  And  now,  while  Martha  Mary  was 
gradually  approaching,  they  started  toward 
her  on  a  lively  trot.  After  them  came  the 
puppy,  blundering,  falling  over  his  own 
paws,  but  making  good  time,  nevertheless, 
83 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

and  emphatically  prominent  by  reason  of 
his  piercing  protests  against  being  left. 

This  would  never  do.  Sunshine  halted, 
and  suddenly  realizing  that  there  was  no 
use  going  to  meet  trouble,  she  fiercely  com 
manded  the  dog  to  go  back.  He  was 
charmed  at  being  waited  for,  prostrated  his 
soft  little  body  upon  her  bare  feet  and  licked 
the  dust  from  her  toes,  while  Sunshine 
giggled  with  delight  at  the  funny  warm  feel 
of  it,  and  Martha  Mary  was  looking  just 
as  they  had  known  she  would  —  a  good 
deal  interested  and  rather  cross. 

"  Whose  is  it?  Where  did  you  get  it?  " 
she  questioned.  The  puppy,  by  way  of  in 
troducing  himself  pleasantly,  got  between 
her  feet  and  nearly  brought  her  to  the 
ground  before  she  had  him  disentangled. 
Meanwhile,  the  children  were  vocal. 

"  Can  we  keep  him  ?  Can't  we  keep 
him?  We  got  him  in  the  ditch.  He  likes 
us  awful  well." 

By  this  time,  they  had  all  reached  their 
own  domain,  where  Martha  Mary  dropped 
upon  a  box  outside  the  door,  while  children 
84 


AN  ADDITION  TO  THE  FAMILY 

and  puppy  cast  themselves  upon  her.  She 
rolled  the  little  animal  over  with  her  foot 
and  laughed  like  the  child  she  was ;  then  she 
said,  "  What  you  s'pose  we  're  goin'  to  feed 
him?" 

"  Oh,  bread  and  syrup,"  assured  Sun 
shine.  "  He  likes  it  dandy,  but  he  only 
eats  just  such  a  little  bit!  "  she  added  with 
early  wisdom. 

"  He  '11  be  an  awful  nuisance  and  he  '11 
eat  a  lot,"  asserted  Martha  Mary  dubiously. 

The  two  eager  faces  looking  up  at  her, 
sobered  on  the  instant;  only  the  puppy  re 
mained  ecstatic,  fiercely  worrying  the  hem 
of  Martha  Mary's  dress,  as  if  it  were  not 
already  much  too  worn  and  frayed  to  be 
properly  called  a  hem.  She  pushed  him 
away,  got  up,  and  went  into  the  house  to 
hang  over  the  cab  where  Happy  lay  asleep. 

"  You  can  keep  him  a  while,  to-night 
anyway,  if  nobody  don't  come  for  him," 
she  called  back,  as  she  unwrapped  a  stale 
loaf  she  had  brought  with  her  and  began 
preparations  for  supper. 

So  the  puppy  stayed,  and  had  conferred 
85 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

upon  him  the  name  of  Mark,  in  honor  of 
the  butcher's  boy  who  once  gave  him  a 
bone. 

Mark  early  learned  the  use  of  bones;  in 
deed  he  developed  a  capacity  for  food 
which  became  rapidly  inconvenient,  yet  not 
surprising,  since  his  body  was  long  and 
barrel-shaped,  with  no  legs  to  speak  of, 
and  completed  by  a  futile  tail  and  a  heavy- 
jawed  head.  But  Mark  was  not  depressed 
about  his  looks,  for  there  were  four  chil 
dren  to  whom  he  was  beautiful.  By  day 
he  stretched  himself  out  in  the  shade,  by 
night  he  slept  at  the  children's  feet,  and 
Martha  Mary  felt  much  safer  about  leaving 
the  younger  ones  alone,  now  that  Mark 
was  showing  signs  of  having  developed  a 
sort  of  sagacity. 

He  seemed  almost  to  understand  when 
Martha  Mary  contracted  a  severe  cold. 
She  had  really  no  leisure  for  such  indul 
gences  and  it  racked  her  so  sorely  that  it 
seemed  doubtful  at  times  whether  she  ever 
would  get  over  it  by  the  natural  method. 

Mark  stood  about  with  the  children  to 
86 


AN  ADDITION  TO  THE  FAMILY 

watch  her  when  she  coughed,  and  looked 
sad  with  his  eyes  and  glad  with  his  tail, 
thus  being  able  to  convey  condolence  and 
encouragement  simultaneously.  So  she  did 
pull  through  after  a  while;  she  had  to,  and 
soon  she  was  flying  about  again  with  her 
former  snap  and  enthusiasm. 

Meanwhile,  Mark  had  almost  ceased  to 
be  a  baby  dog,  having  matured  rapidly  un 
der  necessity.  He  seemed  to  have  no  idea 
when  to  stop  growing  and  it  was  now  that 
he  manifested  his  lack  of  human  intelli 
gence.  Jakey's  earnings  did  not  increase 
as  they  had  hoped,  so  the  children  really 
tried  to  eat  sparingly,  and  even  Sunshine 
endeavored  to  conceal  from  Martha  Mary 
the  half-filled  condition  of  her  little 
stomach;  Mark  alone  was  openly  ravenous. 
He  ranged  the  neighborhood,  the  target  of 
brooms  and  brick-bats,  but  the  locality  was 
not  prolific  of  edible  garbage,  and  Mark's 
barrel  sides  were  growing  flat. 

Then  came  the  terror  of  the  dog-catchers, 
not  troubling  Mark  in  the  least  but  fright 
ening  Sunshine  and  George  Johnny  even  in 
87 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

their  dreams.  This  was  too  big  a  trouble 
to  bear  by  themselves.  They  asked  Martha 
Mary  all  about  it  and  she  told  them;  offer 
ing  no  solution  and  proffering  no  hope. 

Sunshine  and  George  Johnny  did  their 
best.  If  your  dog  has  not  the  brazen  pro 
tection  of  a  tag  you  must  keep  him  where 
no  one  will  find  it  out.  But  Mark  had  de 
veloped  more  alertness  than  prudence.  In 
spite  of  their  vigilance  he  would  escape 
them,  and  in  the  interval  before  his  return, 
always  very  dirty  and  affectionate,  they 
passed  through  tortures  of  apprehension. 
Besides,  when  he  was  home,  he  seemed  to 
think  forever  of  eating.  There  was  some 
thing  lacking  in  Mark  that  he  could  not 
subsist  upon  affection. 

In  the  meantime,  some  of  the  other  dogs 
of  Mark's  acquaintance  went  riding  away 
in  a  slatted  wagon,  and  that  was  the  last 
of  them.  A  few  of  the  animals  were  even 
delivered  by  their  owners,  who  received  in 
return  a  quarter  of  a  dollar.  Sunshine  and 
George  Johnny  had  not  learned  of  this  sort 
of  business  transaction,  but  Martha  Mary 
88 


AN  ADDITION  TO  THE  FAMILY 

had;  and  late  one  hot  afternoon  when  she 
espied  the  slatted  wagon  in  a  neighboring 
street,  she  made  haste  to  send  the  children 
on  an  errand  to  the  grocery.  Mark,  this 
time,  did  not  go  with  them. 

As  soon  as  the  others  were  safely  out  of 
sight,  Martha  Mary  took  the  dog  up  in  her 
arms  and  looked  forlornly  toward  the  slat 
ted  wagon,  then  quickly  set  him  down 
again.  It  would  be  all  right,  she  was  think 
ing,  if  for  this  once  she  were  to  give  him  a 
little  milk.  But  when  he  had  voraciously 
swallowed  his  ration,  and  was  licking  his 
lips,  she  again  took  him  up  and  started 
away  with  him.  Better  he  should  go  like 
this  than  meet  the  torture  of  the  dog-catch 
ers.  He  might  be  captured  within  sight  of 
the  children  and  that  thought  was  too  much 
for  Martha  Mary. 

Mark  cuddled  down  confidingly  against 
her  shoulder,  wagged  his  thick,  white 
thumb  of  a  tail,  and  with  his  soft,  pink 
tongue  gently  lapped  one  of  the  girl's  rough 
little  hands. 

"Quit!"  she  said,  but  for  all  that  she 
89 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

walked  steadily  on,  walked  very  fast  at 
first;  then  went  slower  and  slower;  then 
stopped.  Suddenly  her  arms  fell,  the  dog 
leaped  down  and  she  turned  abruptly,  start 
ing  hastily  toward  the  house. 


90 


CHAPTER  VIII 

DECORATED 

UPON  being  released  Mark  gave  chase 
to  some  sparrows,  gaily  and  foolishly 
barking  at  them  as  they  flirted  up  out  of 
his  reach,  clumsily  falling  down  when  he 
tried  to  stop  short,  and  looking  after  them 
in  perplexity,  with  his  pink  tongue  quiver 
ing  out  of  the  side  of  his  mouth.  But 
Martha  Mary  gave  no  heed  to  him.  She 
hastened  quietly  into  the  house,  and  when 
the  children  returned  they  found  her  with 
arms  folded  upon  the  table,  and  her  fore 
head  pillowed  upon  them.  Yet  as  soon  as 
Sunshine  and  George  Johnny  had  come  in, 
she  was  on  her  feet  again,  and  quite  in  the 
usual  way  began  the  brief  task  of  getting 
supper  ready. 

Meanwhile  the  children  had  sat  down  on 
the  box  under  the  window,  with  Mark  be- 

91 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

tween  them,  and  by  and  by  George  Johnny 
was  asking: 

"  Why  doeth  dogth  gotta  have  collar th 
and  brath  tagth  for?" 

An  old  question,  this,  which  the  elder  sis 
ter  had  long  ago  wearied  of  answering. 

"  Well,  then,"  the  boy  persisted,  "  why 
don't  uth  have  no  collar  and  tag  for 
Mark?" 

"  Dog  tax  costs  ft"'  dollars,  an'  us  ain't 
got  no  fi'  dollars,  has  us,  Martha  Mary?" 
reasoned  Sunshine,  with  her  arm  going 
tight  about  Mark's  neck.  The  child's  voice 
was  wistful  in  its  appeal,  but  not  more  wist 
ful  than  was  the  elder  sister's  as  she  asked : 

"  Don't  you  kids  think  you  could  git 
along  without  him?  Sometimes  dogs  goes 
mad ;  that 's  why  they  ketches  'em.  What 
if  Mark  'd  go  mad  now,  an'  tear  'round 
bitin'  folks?" 

"  Mark  don't  never  git  mad  at  me" 
George  Johnny  protested,  and  to  prove  the 
point  he  added  exultingly :  "  Thee,  I  can 
pinch  his  tail,  an'  thick  a  pin  in  him,  an'  thit 
on  him,  an' — an' — " 
92 


DECORATED 

"  Shut  up,"  said  Martha  Mary. 

What  with  her  affection  for  the  dog  and 
her  dread  of  having  him  dragged  away  be 
fore  the  children's  very  eyes,  the  situation 
was  becoming  altogether  unbearable.  She 
and  Jacob  Christopher  held  a  secret  confer 
ence,  according  to  which,  on  the  following 
day,  he  put  in  a  prompt  appearance  at  home 
and  showed  himself  uncommonly  entertain 
ing.  With  the  baby  in  his  arms,  he  lured 
Sunshine  and  George  Johnny  around  to 
the  shady  side  of  the  building  and  engaged 
them  in  the  absorbing  occupation  of  ex 
cavating  dirt  houses. 

Meanwhile,  Martha  Mary,  within,  was 
giving  Mark  a  meal  of  scraps  which  threw 
him  into  transports  by  its  quantity  and  qual 
ity.  The  moment  he  had  gobbled  it,  she 
lifted  him  into  Happy's  perambulator, 
Mark's  one  accomplishment  being  the  art 
of  lolling  gracefully  in  that  vehicle  while 
he  was  pushed  about.  And  since  he  could 
be  depended  upon  neither  to  lead  nor  to 
follow,  this  trick  now  stood  Martha  Mary 
in  good  stead. 

93 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

Resolutely  she  grasped  the  perambu 
lator's  handle  and  started  away,  but  on  the 
instant,  like  a  demure  but  uneasy  spirit, 
trudged  into  view,  George  Johnny. 

"  Where  you  doin'  ?  Wait  for  me !  " 
was  his  immediate  and  imperative  hail. 

"  Can't  wait,"  declared  Martha  Mary,  at 
tempting  to  carry  the  matter  off  with  a 
rush.  "  I  'm  playin'  dog  ketcher.  You  can 
clod  me  if  you  want  to.  You  can  clod  me 
good."  By  this  ruse  she  hoped  to  make 
her  escape,  but  it  was  a  failure. 

"  Don't  'ant  to  clod  you  dood !  "  George 
Johnny  exclaimed,  and  there  began  to  steal 
over  his  face  the  shadow  of  coming  storm. 
It  was  seldom,  indeed,  that  he  created  a 
disturbance,  but  when  he  did  feel  it  neces 
sary  to  file  a  protest  the  result  was  remark 
able,  both  for  volume  and  duration. 

Well  did  Martha  Mary  know  that  here 
was  an  element  which  demanded  taking 
into  account.  Once  let  Sunshine  appear 
on  the  scene  and  the  plan  must,  for  the 
time,  be  abandoned. 

"  Come  along,  then,"  she  compromised. 
94 


DECORATED 

*''  Only  hush  up,  right  this  minute.  Here, 
you  wheel  him;  quick,  before  he  jumps 
out/'  By  this  diversion  she  gained  a  mo 
ment  to  run  back  and  surreptitiously  en 
lighten  Jakey;  then  she  and  George  Johnny 
proceeded  on  their  way.  Only  now  they 
constituted  a  circus  parade,  with  George 
Johnny  helping  to  propel  the  lion's  cage, 
in  which  Mark  was  supposed  to  be  enacting 
the  part  of  a  fierce  beast  from  the  jungle. 

After  this  fashion,  the  two  children  and 
their  dog  finally  reached  the  police  station, 
where  Mark  followed  with  docility  into  a 
room  smelling  strongly  of  tobacco  smoke. 
But  both  Martha  Mary  and  George  Johnny 
held  fast  to  the  frayed  end  of  the  rope  about 
his  neck,  and  both  looked  scarefully  up  at 
Sergeant  Whelan,  who  was  peering  out 
and  down  at  them  through  his  official  win 
dow.  He  was  a  fat  sergeant  and  when  he 
leaned  forward  on  his  elbow,  with  the  edge 
of  the  wide  desk  pressing  against  his 
stomach,  it  made  him  very  red  in  the  face. 

"  Mebbe  you  're  the  p'liceman  what  kills 
the  dogs.  Are  you  ?  "  the  girl  questioned, 

95 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

with  a  lonesome  shake  in  her  voice.  Both 
she  and  George  Johnny  held  a  little  tighter 
to  the  rope,  as  if  for  protection. 

"  An'  'f  I  am,  then  what?  "  There  was 
a  note  of  curiosity  in  the  sergeant's  tone 
and  in  the  lifting  of  his  black,  bushy  eye 
brows.  Nor  was  he  the  only  one  to  show 
a  degree  of  interest.  The  brass-buttoned 
row  of  policemen,  lounging  on  a  wooden 
bench  and  on  chairs  about  the  wall,  smoked, 
and  spat,  and  watched  idly. 

Martha  Mary,  in  response  to  the  ser 
geant's  question,  offered  him  the  end  of  the 
frayed  rope. 

"  Here  he  is,"  she  said.  "  We  brung 
him  ourselves.  We  wanta  get  him  killed, 
don't  we,  George  Johnny?" 

Little  brother  did  not  reply;  little 
brother  had  his  hands  to  his  eyes,  and  the 
black  dimples  of  his  wee,  soft  fists  were  get 
ting  wet. 

"  What  for  do  you  want  him  killed  ?  " 
the  sergeant  inquired. 

"  We  ain't  got  no  tag  for  him,"  Martha 
Mary  bravely  but  snufftly  replied. 
96 


DECORATED 

"  All  right.  We  '11  take  care  of  him  for 
you."  Sergeant  Whelan  was  very  busi 
ness-like,  but  such  prompt  acquiescence  was 
not  quite  what  Martha  Mary  had  expected. 
Could  n't  the  red-faced  man  see  that  Mark 
was  no  common  dog?  Her  campaign  had 
been  planned,  and  she  was  forced  to  a  new 
expedient. 

"  We  thought  mebbe  somebody  might 
want  to  buy  him,"  she  suggested,  coura 
geously,  and  then  added  with  a  burst  of  be 
lated  enthusiasm :  "  He  's  such  a  dandy 
dog!" 

Tom  Moriarty,  the  biggest  of  the  police 
men,  chuckled  expansively,  and  Mark,  being 
conscious  of  an  amiable  atmosphere,  de 
lightedly  wagged  himself.  His  short  tail 
had  once  been  a  disadvantage,  but  since  he 
had  grown  thin,  he  wagged  easily,  clear  to 
the  shoulders.  Martha  Mary,  however,  did 
not  so  readily  mistake  the  meaning  of  the 
chuckle,  and  as  for  George  Johnny,  the 
blackness  was  still  melting  out  of  the  dim 
ples  of  his  fists. 

"  Well,  I  s'pose  everybody  has  got  plenty 

97 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

of  dogs,"  the  little  girl  conceded;  then,  af 
ter  an  interval  of  reflection,  she  said  :  "  We 
jest  can't  let  the  dog  ketchers  git  him. 
They  use  wires,  you  know,  to  do  their 
ketchin'  with,  an'  wires  hurts  awful.  So 
we  was  thinkin'  that  mebbe,  if  you  did  n't 
want  to  kill  him  —  he  's  such  a  dandy  dog 
—  we  was  thinkin'  that  mebbe  you  could 
keep  him, —  keep  him  for  your  own  se'f ." 

"  We  keep  'em  in  the  pound  five  days," 
said  the  sergeant.  "  Then  they  have  to  be 
put  out  of  the  way." 

"  An'  you  could  n't  keep  him  ?  " 

"  Keep  him?  W'y  'f  we  kep'  all  of  'em, 
we  'd  have  a  reg'lar  dogs'  boardin* 
school!" 

Very  clumsy  humor,  this  may  have  been, 
and  yet  the  sergeant  was  not  unkind;  only 
how  was  Martha  Mary  to  know  that  ?  She 
looked  straight  at  him,  but  there  did  not 
seem  to  be  anything  more  for  her  to  say, 
and  as  for  George  Johnny,  he  was  steadily 
patting  the  dog,  while  Mark  wagged  and 
grinned  complacently  and  scratched  him 
self. 

98 


DECORATED 

At  last  the  little  girl  again  held  up  the 
rope-end. 

"  I  guess  you  '11  have  to  take  him."  She 
choked,  but  for  the  benefit  of  little  brother, 
whose  hand  she  now  squeezed  solidly  in 
hers,  she  bravely  added :  "  They  'd  ketch 
him  anyhow,  an'  we  could  n't  stand  it  to 
see  'em  ketch  him."  Then  she  remembered 
about  the  quarter  and  she  looked  at  Ser 
geant  Whelan  expectantly,  but  since  noth 
ing  of  the  kind  seemed  to  occur  to  him,  she 
turned  away  as  she  said,  "  Come  on, 
George  Johnny." 

It  was  now  that  Tom  Moriarty  created 
a  disturbance.  His  solid  feet  came  solidly 
down  from  the  top  of  the  reading  table; 
they  struck  the  floor  with  a  jar  that  made 
the  windows  rattle,  and  he  mentioned  some 
thing  as  impolite  as  it  was  emphatic.  At 
the  same  time,  he  took  off  his  helmet,  which 
must  have  been  a  relief  to  the  other  men 
in  the  room,  if  one  might  judge  by  the  way 
silver  coins  went  clinking  into  it.  A 
strange  thing  about  it,  so  Martha  Mary  af 
terward  reflected,  was  that  there  should 
99 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

have  been  such  a  substantial  ring  of  money 
when  the  helmet  finally  reached  Sergeant 
Whelan. 

The  meaning  of  it  all  was  not  the  least 
bit  clear  to  the  children,  and  yet  it  was  a 
triumphal  march,  a  very  triumphal  march 
when  their  circus  parade  took  its  course 
back  toward  the  drainage  ditch.  This  time, 
with  great  importance,  George  Johnny  led 
the  procession.  He  had  pulled  up,  from 
somewhere  along  the  way,  a  sun-weed  stalk, 
and  the  round,  yellow-faced  flowers  at  the 
top  went  jerking  in  time  to  his  strutting, 
jerky  steps.  But  the  blossoms  were  not 
so  bright  as  the  decoration  worn  by  a  cer 
tain  lionized  dog. 

For  all  that,  there  was  no  place  for  him 
in  his  lion  cage.  It  was  laden  with  humpy 
bags  and  neat  parcels,  one  of  which  exhaled 
an  appetizing  odor  of  ground  coffee.  A 
cook  wagon,  Martha  Mary  called  it,  and 
she  proudly  pushed  it  along,  while  the  sum 
mer  wind  flapped  her  faded  apron  about 
the  bend  of  her  knees. 

"  Thunthine !  Thee !  "  called  out  George 
100 


DECORATED 

Johnny.  He  had  spied  a  waiting  group 
near  the  little  house :  Jakey  with  Sunshine 
and  the  baby,  interestedly  watched  their  ap 
proach. 

Wildly  George  Johnny  was  flourishing 
his  sun-weed  stalk  as  the  procession  ad 
vanced  enveloped  by  a  golden  dust.  The 
setting  sun  had  at  last  burned  bravely 
through  the  pall  of  packing  house  smoke, 
and  in  the  reddening  glow,  the  brass  tag 
upon  the  dog's  breast  was  all  a-sparkle, 
transmuted  into  precious  metal.  Mark  had 
been  decorated. 


101 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE   WEDDING   TRIP 

FOR  an  entire  week  Mark's  rugged 
health  was  imperiled.  Through  over 
feeding  he  came  near  to  losing  his  perfect 
digestion  and  his  active  habits.  Then  the 
contents  of  the  cook  wagon  gave  out  and 
Mark,  as  well  as  the  rest  of  the  family, 
went  back  to  their  former  sparing  and  ex 
ceedingly  uncertain  fare. 

Once  more  Martha  Mary  began  to  talk 
about  the  wedding  trip,  and  though  Jakey, 
having  tasted  real  diversion,  at  the  Or- 
pheum,  could  no  longer  be  cheered  by  fan 
tastic  imaginings,  the  two  younger  children 
were  readily  beguiled  by  whatever  rain- 
bow-hued  bauble  of  fancy  their  sister  dan 
gled  before  them. 

Yet  to  little  Happy  a  wedding  trip  could 
bring  no  solace.  He  wailed  ceaselessly, 
but  the  cry  was  growing  less  troublesome 
102 


THE  WEDDING  TRIP 

because  less  loud.  It  was  this  hoarse  and 
feeble  wailing-  which  helped  to  guide  a 
graceful  woman  in  a  gray  gown  who  came 
stepping  around  the  puddles  one  day  over 
the  muddy  flat. 

She  paused  at  the  Blatzenfelds'  door. 

Martha  Mary  did  not  see  the  visitor  at 
first.  She  was  very  busy  sousing  Sun 
shine's  apron  and  George  Johnny's  trousers 
in  a  rusty  pan  outside  the  door,  while  the 
two  were  in  forced  confinement  within, 
noisily  trying  to  divert  Happy,  one  of  whose 
changes  was  already  dripping  on  the  line, 
with  its  red-lettered  legend  of  felicity 
grown  sadly  dim. 

"  Are  n't  you  getting  your  washing  out 
early?  "  came  a  voice  of  a  quality  not  usual 
in  this  neighborhood. 

The  small  figure  straightened  up  to  meet 
the  regard  of  the  superintendent  of  the  De 
tention  Home,  known  among  recalcitrant 
juveniles  as  the  "  Kids'  Lady,"  but  those  im 
posing  facts  were  unrevealed  and  unimpor 
tant  to  Martha  Mary.  She  was  looking  at 
a  gently  smiling  woman,  the  lines  about 
103 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

whose  soft  brown  eyes  were  only  lines  of 
loving. 

"  Oh,  yes  'm,"  the  child  answered,  flash 
ing  back  the  friendly  smile.  "  I  gotta  get 
the  kids  cleaned  up  'fore  me  an'  Jakey  takes 
'em  on  our  weddin'  trip.  Sunshine  an' 
George  Johnny,  you  go  back  there !  "  as  two 
small  nudes  appeared  in  the  doorway. 
"  Jakey,  he  ain't  here  just  now.  He  's  the 
father  of  us,  and  I  'm  the  mother.  We 
gotta  baby."  She  dived  through  the  door 
way,  leaving  even  the  experienced  Miss 
Maynard  slightly  bewildered,  to  reappear 
snuggling  Happy's  little  head  in  her  neck, 
and  sat  down  in  such  a  way  as  to  bar  the 
door  against  the  egress  of  the  two  other 
children,  who  hovered  in  the  background, 
pink  and  unashamed. 

The  story  poured  itself  out  easily  in  re 
sponse  to  the  visitor's  practised  questions: 
a  cheerful  commingling  of  fancy,  fact  and 
ignorance.  That  they  had  anything  to  com 
plain  of  never  occurred  to  Martha  Mary. 
Only  once  her  tone  grew  anxious  as  she 
jounced  the  fretting  Happy  on  her  knee, 
104 


THE  WEDDING  TRIP 

his  little  head  bobbing  weakly  back  and 
forth. 

"  I  don't  think  he  looks  real  well,  do  you  ? 
Even  for  a  baby  ?  "  She  leaned  over  and 
peered  around  into  the  tiny  face,  withered 
and  brown,  like  an  old  man's,  and  twisting 
into  a  scowl.  "  Mebbe  I  ain't  fed  'im  just 
right.  He  's  always  the  best  baby !  "  She 
hugged  him  close  while  he  feebly  protested. 
"  I  'spect  the  weddin'  trip  will  do  'im  good, 
don't  you?  If  he  should  git  sick,"  her  face 
took  on  the  drawn  solicitude  of  maternity, 
"  I  guess  I  could  n't  ever  stand  it." 

The  lines  of  loving  had  deepened  about 
the  eyes  of  Miss  Maynard. 

"  How  would  you  like,"  she  asked,  "  to 
let  me  go  with  you  on  your  wedding  trip? 
How  would  you  like,  all  of  you,  to  take  a 
trip  to  a  beautiful  house  I  know,  where 
there  are  other  children  and  where  you  can 
have  everything  you  need?  We  could  go 
on  the  car  this  afternoon." 

"  Aw,  now !  "  said  the  girl  incredulously, 
and  her  loyal  gray  eyes  reproached  this  wo 
man  who  could  have  the  heart  to  tantalize 
105 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

her  with  a  fairy  tale  —  a  dream  so  much 
beyond  any  she  had  ever  been  able  to  invent 
that  it  could  not  possibly  come  true. 

Then  the  warning  of  Mrs.  Kelly  echoed 
in  the  back  of  Martha  Mary's  brain.  What 
was  it  that  friendly  adviser  had  cautioned 
against?  She  could  recall  but  one  word, 
and  since  this  lady  looked  so  nice  and 
seemed  so  gentle  and  considerate,  she  tried 
to  state  the  objection  politely: 

"Are  you  —  is  it  —  ?"  she  stammered. 
"  Is  that  house  you  mean,  a  charities  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  call  it  so,"  was  the  guarded  re 
ply  of  the  Kids'  Lady.  "  It  answers  a  good 
many  different  purposes.  Sometimes,"  she 
continued  with  a  smile,  "  I  have  known  it 
to  be  the  Half -Way  House  to  Happi 
ness." 

Martha  Mary  was  mystified  but  not  con 
vinced,  and  Miss  Maynard,  seeing  the 
doubt  in  the  small  face,  at  once  so  childish 
and  so  mature,  used  the  one  argument  that 
she  knew  would  prevail. 

"  I  will  tell  you  the  truth,  little  girl.  I 
think  this  is  a  very  sick  baby.  I  am  afraid 
1 06 


THE  WEDDING  TRIP 

if  you  stay  here  with  him  he  will  never  get 
well." 

Terror  sprang  into  the  child's  eyes,  -but 
her  self-reliance  came  quickly  back. 

"  No,  he  ain't  so  very  sick,"  she  stoutly 
declared.  "  He  don't  get  no  worse.  He 
ain't  used  to  being  fat." 

"  Well,  he  would  get  used  to  it,  if  you 
would  come  with  me.  Out  at  that  big 
house  there  is  a  sunny  nursery  and  a  lady 
who  knows  just  how  to  make  sick  babies 
well.  You  could  help  to  take  care  of  him, 
and  in  a  month  he  would  be  so  fat  and  rosy 
you  would  n't  know  him.  Don't  you  think 
you  'd  better  come  ?  " 

"Would  all  of  us  go?" 

"  Of  course  you  would." 

"  An'  would  we  ride  on  the  street  cars ; 
on  the  open-work  cars  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed,  dear,"  said  Miss  May- 
nard.  "  If  you  will  go,  I  will  come  back 
for  you  this  afternoon  at  five  o'clock." 

For  a  moment  Martha  Mary  regarded 
thoughtfully  the  infant  in  her  arms.  Then 
she  said  decisively,  "  Yes,  sir,  we  will !  " 
107 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

As  she  laid  the  baby  on  the  doorstep  and 
made  for  the  rusty  tin  pan,  she  concluded, 
"  I  got  to  get  these  kids'  things  dry." 

Their  preparations  for  departure  were 
necessarily  simple,  one  problem  alone  pre 
senting  itself :  the  disposal  of  Mark.  This 
obstacle  loomed  so  large  for  a  time  that 
Martha  Mary  began  to  wish  no  wedding 
trip  had  been  arranged,  but  Jakey  solved 
that  question  upon  his  arrival,  in  a  manner 
which  was  for  him  quite  brilliant.  He 
proposed  that  they  give  Mark  to  the 
butcher's  boy,  with  the  proviso  that  when 
they  were  back  again  in  their  wonted  neigh 
borhood  they  should  once  more  have  their 
property.  Jakey  scurried  away  in  haste  to 
look  up  Mark's  future  master  and  arrange 
his  project.  He  came  back  triumphant. 
The  butcher's  boy  was  delighted,  Sunshine 
and  George  Johnny  were  not ;  but  by  making 
a  great  bustle  of  getting  off,  Martha  Mary 
averted  any  outburst  of  grief. 

On  the  car  the  children  were  very  quiet, 
only  Martha  Mary  kept  gazing  down  into 
Happy's  weazened  little  face  and  then  look- 
108 


THE  WEDDING  TRIP 

ing  up  at  her  friend  to  ask :  "  I  think  it 's 
doin'  'im  good  a'ready,  don't  you?  I  do 
b'lieve  he  's  beginnin'  to  look  a  little  bet 
ter." 

She  had  no  doubt  of  her  baby's  sure  re 
covery  when  she  saw  the  place  that  was  to 
take  them  in  —  a  generous  building  set 
back  in  the  sweep  of  a  shaded  lawn  —  and 
as  they  went  up  the  walk  the  Kids'  Lady, 
mother-eyed  and  smiling,  took  Martha 
Mary's  limp  little  hand  in  the  clasp  of  her 
warm,  soft  fingers.  They  followed  her 
into  a  cool-hued  library,  and  Happy  lay 
on  her  lap  while  she  asked  a  few  questions 
and  wrote  in  her  big  superintendent's 
book. 

"  What  was  your  father  —  his  occupa 
tion?"  asked  Miss  Maynard. 

Martha  Mary  had  no  slightest  notion 
what  that  meant  and  she  puzzled  for  an  in 
stant,  trying  to  think  of  any  useful  thing 
that  her  father  had  been,  but  could  not 
recall  one.  So  she  answered  cheerily, 
"  Yes  'm,  I  believe  he  was." 

It  was  difficult  for  the  elder  sister  to 
109 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

keep  her  mind  on  the  answers,  for  the 
whole  place,  even  to  the  library,  was  filled 
with  the  smell  of  new  baked  bread.  They 
had  it  for  supper,  great  sweet  flapping 
slices,  with  fragrant  apple  sauce,  and  all 
the  milk  they  could  drink.  Sunshine  and 
George  Johnny  could  hardly  stay  awake  to 
eat.  Happy  was  already  in  a  white  crib 
upstairs,  bathed  and  fed  and  fast  asleep. 
Martha  Mary  had  seen  him. 

Now,  as  they  trooped  with  the  others 
from  the  children's  dining-room,  she  went 
up  to  Miss  Maynard. 

"  Dast  me  an'  Jakey  go  outdoors?"  she 
questioned. 

"  Yes,"  granted  the  superintendent,  at 
the  same  time  reaching  out  for  Sunshine, 
who,  tired  and  replete,  was  exhibiting  the 
first  symptoms  of  a  "  tankrum."  Having 
seen  that  small  thunderstorm  safely  in  the 
care  of  a  bed-time  attendant,  Miss  May 
nard  stepped  back  into  the  empty  dining- 
room  and  looked  out  between  the  curtains 
at  the  two  older  children.  Slowly  they 
circled  the  front  of  the  house  and  stopped 
no 


THE  WEDDING  TRIP 

under  a  broad  tree,  not  far  from  the  open 
window.  The  girl's  voice  came  in  with 
the  damp  coolness  of  the  evening. 

"  Jus'  smell  it,  Jakey !  "  Martha  Mary's 
sharp  little  nose  sniffed  audibly  the  unpol 
luted  breeze.  "  Ain't  it  somep'n  gran'  ? 
I  did  n't  never  b'lieve  reely  that  we  'd  have 
no  weddin'  trip.  An'  to  have  it  end  up 
like  this !  " 

She  stopped,  looking  at  her  brother,  who 
had  flopped  upon  the  grass,  squirming  on 
his  back  like  a  little  animal  and  wriggling 
his  newly  washed  toes  into  the  cool,  green 
turf.  His  sister  sat  down  slowly,  leaning 
her  back  against  the  trunk  of  the  tree. 

"  Jakey,"  she  said,  after  a  moment,  but 
the  lure  of  companionship  had  beckoned 
Jacob  Christopher.  With  his  hands  in  his 
pockets  and  an  air  of  fine  indifference,  he 
was  sauntering  toward  a  group  of  boys  at 
the  further  end  of  the  grounds.  Martha 
Mary  looked  in  his  direction  rather  wist 
fully,  then  she  rested  her  head  against  the 
tree's  rough  bark. 

A  half  hour  later,  when  Miss  Maynard 
in 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

came  to  take  her  in,  the  girl  did  not  waken. 
Sleep  and  the  twilight  had  brought  a  look 
almost  babyish  into  her  small  face.  The 
Kids'  Lady  stooped  to  touch  the  sharp  lit 
tle  shoulder,  and  as  Martha  Mary's  cheek 
dropped  against  the  protecting  hand,  she 
remarked  with  the  uncertain  accents  of 
sleep,  but  in  the  crisp  tone  of  authority: 

"  Hush     now  —  hush     up !  —  you    ain't 
neither  hungry." 


112 


CHAPTER  X 

LAND   OF   THE   BLESSED   SLEEP 

SLOWLY  Martha  Mary  and  the  Kids' 
Lady  moved  along  over  the  grass  to 
gether,  hearing  the  shouts  of  the  boys, 
who  were  running  and  scrambling  about 
among  the  apple  trees,  in  a  thoroughly 
boyish  and  unorganized  fashion.  There 
came,  also,  the  shriller  screams  and  giggles 
of  a  group  of  girls  who  were  playing  drop- 
the-handkerchief,  on  a  level  green  at  the 
side  of  the  grounds.  Miss  Maynard's 
arm  was  around  Martha  Mary's  shoulders, 
and  it  pressed  the  little  girl's  head  gently 
against  the  smooth,  cool  folds  of  a  blue 
linen  skirt. 

All  this  was  very  strange  and  at  the 
same  time  very  delightful  to  Martha  Mary. 
Though  well-accustomed  to  the  vicissi 
tudes  of  a  haphazard  existence,  this  day 
had  been  really  the  most  surprising  and 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

tiring  of  her  experience.  Her  eyes  were 
wide  open,  but  she  felt  numbly  yet  tin- 
glingly  asleep  to  the  ends  of  her  thin  legs 
and  arms. 

How  good  it  would  seem  to  be  taken  up 
stairs  where  she  could  crawl  under  the 
covers  of  one  of  those  small  white  beds 
she  had  glimpsed  through  an  open  door 
way!  In  a  half  dream  she  dragged  her 
feet  over  the  clipped  softness  of  the  grass, 
and  she  was  dreadfully  sorry  when  Miss 
Maynard  stopped  and  took  away  the  em 
bracing  arm  to  shake  hands  with  a  big 
man. 

The  man  had  appeared,  followed  by  sev 
eral  of  the  smaller  boys,  from  around  the 
front  corner  of  the  house,  and  it  took  Martha 
Mary's  weary  eyes  a  considerable  interval 
to  travel  to  the  top  of  him.  He  was,  as 
she  would  have  expressed  it,  both  high-up 
and  wide-out;  besides,  his  face,  when  you 
did  get  to  it,  was  undeniably  ugly.  And  yet 
Martha  Mary  was  not  surprised  that  the 
Kids'  Lady  greeted  the  man  in  a  voice  of 
most  friendly  welcome.  He  certainly  did 
114 


LAND  OF  THE  BLESSED  SLEEP 

seem  like  the  kind  of  person  you  would 
be  glad  to  see.  Three  of  the  little  boys 
were  acting  as  an  immediate  bodyguard, 
two  youths  of  a  more  self-conscious  age 
shambled  in  the  rear,  and  the  man's  hand 
was  wooling  the  inky  kinks  upon  the  head 
of  "  African  Mick,"  properly  McKinley 
Jones. 

"  Here  is  one  of  our  latest  arrivals," 
Miss  Maynard  was  saying.  "  This  is 
Martha  Mary,  Judge  Sunderland.  And 
now,  if  you  will  excuse  me  a  moment,  I  will 
see  that  this  new  daughter  is  properly  taken 
care  of  for  the  night." 

Once  upstairs,  Martha  Mary  was  turned 
over  to  a  young,  young  lady,  a  pretty  young 
lady,  too,  with  nice  ways  and  the  name  of 
Miss  Clara.  Yet  she  did  not  seem  to  under 
stand  in  the  least  that  all  Martha  Mary 
wanted  was  to  crawl  between  the  covers  of 
a  white  bed.  No,  indeed;  the  young  lady 
had  other  plans  which  she  carried  out  with 
promptness  and  energy.  Martha  Mary 
was  given  such  a  bathing  and  scrubbing 
and  combing  as  she  had  never  dreamed  of, 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

and  of  which  she  did  not  particularly  ap 
prove.  But  she  submitted  with  sleepy  and 
silent  docility,  until  Miss  Clara  remarked: 

"  Good  thing  your  hair  is  n't  curly." 

Then  Martha  Mary's  mind  wandered 
around  to  the  rest  of  the  family.  "  Did 
Sunshine  git  hers  combed?  "  she  questioned 
drowsily. 

"  Sunshine's  had  to  be  cut  off,"  replied 
Miss  Clara.  "Do  you  want  to  see  her?" 

Martha  Mary  was  now  in  a  clean 
nightie.  It  was  much  too  long;  she  had 
to  hold  it  up  with  both  hands,  above  her 
feet  that  were  brightly  pink  from  soap  and 
hot  water,  while  she  followed  Miss  Clara 
into  the  dormitory. 

It  was  not  yet  the  hour  for  regular  bed 
time  and  the  narrow  iron  cots  were  still 
smoothly  spread;  but  at  one  side,  near  an 
open  door,  a  dark  head  rested  on  a  pillow. 
Sunshine  was  fast  asleep,  her  hair,  what 
was  left  of  it,  sticking  out  in  stiff,  ragged 
wisps.  The  shears  had  certainly  been 
wielded  by  a  determined,  if  not  altogether 
skilful  hand.  But  the  cheeks  of  Sun- 
116 


LAND  OF  THE  BLESSED  SLEEP 

shine,  where  the  long,  black  lashes  rested, 
were  an  olive-rose  from  recent  and 
thorough  washing,  and  her  small  hands, 
snuggled  beside  her  face  on  the  pillow,  were 
cleaner  than  they  had  probably  ever  been 
before.  Sunshine  was  still  very  pretty. 
The  elder  sister  looked  up  at  Miss  Clara. 

"  I  bet  she  kicked  awful,"  was  her  ex 
perienced  comment. 

"  She  certainly  did,"  Miss  Clara  agreed. 

Martha  Mary  said  nothing  more  until 
she  was  at  last  really  laying  her  head  upon 
a  pillow  of  her  own;  then  she  reflected,  in 
a  tone  of  regret: 

"  Sunshine  had  awful  nice  curls." 

"  Yes,  she  had,  dear,"  Miss  Clara's 
voice  was  sympathetic,  "  but  they  will  soon 
grow  again,  and  when  they  are  brushed 
regularly  they  will  be  prettier  than  ever." 
Even  as  she  spoke  she  was  moving  down 
the  room,  and  before  she  was  out  of  the 
door  Martha  Mary  was  gone,  too,  far  into 
that  blessed  country  of  sleep,  whose  gates 
open  so  easily  and  so  wide  for  little  chil 
dren. 

117 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  KIDS'   LADY 

MEANWHILE  the  Blatzenfeld  his 
tory  was  being  outlined  for  Judge 
Sunderland,  as  he  sat  on  the  front  veranda 
in  the  cooling  twilight,  with  the  Kids'  Lady 
in  a  wide-armed  chair  not  far  away. 

Parts  of  the  recital  were  necessarily  given 
in  a  fragmentary  undertone.  In  fact,  any 
thing  that  Miss  Maynard  had  to  say  at  this 
hour  would  be  riddled  by  interruptions. 
For,  notwithstanding  the  two  teachers  who 
were  on  the  lawn  with  the  children,  some 
ubiquitous  juvenile  was  always  in  need  of 
affection  or  correction  from  the  main 
source. 

Judge  Sunderland  leaned  back,  watching 
them,  and  the  aspect  of  it  all  struck  him 
quite  freshly,  as  well-accustomed  things  will 
suddenly,  to  our  surprise,  meet  us  with  new 
faces,  as  if  for  the  first  time.  Scarce  a 
118 


THE  KIDS'  LADY 

child  in  the  motley  group  who  had  ever 
thought  of  physical  discomfort  and  depriva 
tion  as  anything  but  a  necessary  accompani 
ment  of  life.  Some  of  them  were  mentally 
askew,  many  had  been  ungovernable  and 
vicious.  Yet  here  they  were,  their  hearts 
as  well  as  their  bodies  fed,  surrounded  by 
an  atmosphere  of  sensible  lenience,  and  the 
whole  collection,  apparently,  about  as  dan 
gerous  as  a  basket  of  puppies. 

When  the  last  of  the  line  had  disappeared 
up  the  stairs  the  Judge  turned  again  to  the 
Kids'  Lady  and  noted  that  she  seemed  all  at 
once  to  have  grown  younger.  A  look  of 
tension,  which  he  realized  more  keenly  by 
its  absence,  had  left  her  face.  He  leaned 
forward,  regarding  her  thoughtfully;  then 
he  said,  with  his  accustomed  directness : 

"  You  're  tired.  What  have  you  been 
doing  to-day?  " 

"  Well,  for  one  thing,  I  had  to  go  down 
on  the  river  flats,  and  that,  you  know,  is 
how  I  happened  to  pick  up  these  little  Blat- 
zenfelds." 

"  But  why,"  the  Judge  asked,  with  ju- 
119 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

dicial  severity,  "  why  do  you  persist  in  try 
ing  to  do  the  work  of  more  than  three  peo 
ple?  The  visiting  is  all  arranged  for;  you 
should  not  take  so  much  upon  yourself." 

"  But  sometimes  I  must  see  for  myself, 
you  know.  And  I  did  not  go  looking  for 
trouble.  I  merely  happened  upon  it. 
Those  absurd  little  chicks  had  to  be  brought 
here." 

"  Yes,  oh,  yes,"  sighed  the  Judge.  "  You 
women  always  have  the  best  of  reasons  for 
anything  you  have  a  mind  to  do.  Now 
about  these  Blatzenheimer  youngsters,  or 
whatever  their  name  is  —  any  relatives 
likely  to  show  up  ?  " 

"  From  what  they  tell  me,  I  imagine  not. 
I  telephoned  a  probation  officer.  He  may 
be  able  to  locate  one  of  the  parents  before 
you  hold  court  again.  But  in  all  probability 
we  have  simply  to  find  homes  for  them.  I 
wish  that  really  were  so  simple.  No  diffi 
culty  about  the  baby,  but  as  for  the  others, 
they  don't  all  fill  the  requirements." 

"  Requirements  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  indeed !  People  have  very  def- 
120 


THE  KIDS'  LADY 

inite  requirements.  And  they  are  so  sure 
of  the  unselfishness  of  their  charitable  in 
tentions!  They  tell  you  so  seriously  that 
they  would  like  the  baby  to  have  blue  eyes, 
yellow  curls,  and  a  good  disposition. 
Above  everything,  it  must  be  well  born !  " 

The  Judge  threw  back  his  head  and 
laughed : 

"Bad  as  that?" 

Smiling  at  her  own  caricature  of  facts, 
Miss  Maynard  added: 

"  Well,  but  is  n't  it  a  bit  vexing  ?  Only 
think  of  the  good  chances  that  will  come  in 
the  way  of  the  little  Blatzenfelds  who  hap 
pen  to  be  pretty,  instead  of  to  plain  Martha 
Mary,  who  has  been  such  a  little  brick !  " 

"  Yes,  yes,  that 's  true,  to  be  sure ;  that 's 
always  the  way;  but,  after  all,  it  averages 
up,  it  averages  up." 

The  Judge's  voice  had  the  same  rich 
hopefulness,  that  emanation  of  good  health, 
good  will  and  good  work,  which  shone 
through  the  massive  blocking  out  of  his 
face.  It  was  a  face  which  seemed  to  have 
been  hewn,  not  molded;  and  the  spirit 

121 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

within  lighted,  instead  of  shaping  it.  "  Is  n't 
the  Judge  the  ugliest  man  you  ever  saw?  " 
a  lady  visitor  at  juvenile  court  had  once 
whispered  to  Miss  Maynard,  at  the  same 
time  poking  her  pretty  head  forward,  the 
better  to  scrutinize  His  Honor. 

On  that  occasion,  weeks  ago,  Judge  Sun- 
derland  had  been  utterly  unconscious  of  ob 
servation.  Five  very  little  boys  were 
crowding  close  about  him,  each  trying  to  get 
nearer  than  the  other;  one,  indeed,  sitting 
on  the  edge  of  the  rostrum,  right  by  the 
Judge's  chair,  his  curly  black  head  sticking 
up  in  the  curve  of  the  Judge's  arm,  whose 
hand  was  put  out  to  rest  upon  another  boy's 
shoulder.  The  whole  quintette  were  grave 
malefactors.  They  had  broken  into  a 
freight  car  and  were  then  realizing  the 
enormity  of  their  crime;  yet,  at  the  same 
time,  they  were  relating  every  detail  of  the 
affair  to  their  judge,  in  the  firm  assurance 
that  he  would  give  them  a  square  deal. 

Just  as  the  visiting  lady  made  her  re 
mark,  the  youngster  of  the  black  curls  had 
his  great  dark  eyes  upturned  to  the  Judge's 
122 


-   THE  KIDS'  LADY 

face,  while  the  round  and  shining  tears  of 
childhood  rolled  after  each  other  down  the 
boy's  cheeks. 

"  Ugly  ?  "  Miss  Maynard  had  asked  her 
self,  and  had  gone  on  with  the  thought: 
"  Yes,  he  is  —  the  most  beautiful  ugly  man 
who  ever  looked  at  life  through  the  medium 
of  kindness." 


123 


CHAPTER  XII 

GOING  TO  LAW 

WHIZZING  along  in  an  open  car,  with 
Miss  Maynard  and  Sunshine  back 
of  her,  George  Johnny  beside  her,  and  Jakey 
with  a  dozen  other  juveniles  occupying  seats 
in  front  and  across  the  aisle,  Martha  Mary's 
heart  was  light.  The  last  few  days  had  put 
quite  out  of  her  mind  such  an  empty  fantasy 
as  a  wedding  trip.  The  present  being  fully 
satisfying,  what  need  was  there  to  draw 
upon  the  future? 

From  the  night  of  his  arrival  at  the 
Home,  little  Happy  had  stopped  crying. 
He  slept  almost  constantly,  and  in  spite  of 
the  nurse's  assurance  that  rest  was  just  what 
he  needed,  and  that  before  long  he  would  be 
fat  and  dimpled,  Martha  Mary  longed  to 
waken  him,  and  make  him  laugh,  that  she 
might  see  whether  the  dimples  had  begun 
to  come  yet.  But  her  faith  in  the  nurse  was 
124 


GOING  TO  LAW 

only  second  to  her  faith  in  the  Kids'  Lady. 
Whatever  the  big  home  was,  and  Martha 
Mary  found  it  quite  pleasant  enough  to  ac 
cept  without  question,  she  felt  sure  it  was 
not  one  of  those  places  against  which  Mrs. 
Kelly  had  warned  her.  In  the  sudden  re 
lief  from  responsibility,  her  very  soul 
danced.  She  entered  into  the  games  with 
the  other  children  as  though  she  could  never 
play  enough,  and  she  laughed  with  an  up- 
spring  of  childish  gaiety  to  which  Miss 
Maynard  stopped  to  listen  with  a  smile. 

Martha  Mary  turned  about,  now,  in  her 
seat,  to  refresh,  by  actual  sight,  her  sense 
of  the  gracious  presence  back  of  her.  Sun 
shine  had  slipped  a  hand  on  Miss  Maynard's 
lap,  and  the  stubby  brown  fingers  were 
clasped  in  the  slim  white  ones ;  upon  the  face 
of  that  ardent  little  rebel  was  a  new  look  of 
softness. 

The  car  came  to  a  grinding  pause  at  a 
street  corner  and  George  Johnny  pulled  his 
sister's  sleeve.  They  had  halted  before  a 
massive  hospital  building  where,  beside  a 
pillared  doorway,  stood  a  carven  figure  of 
125 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

Saint  Vincent  with  a  child  in  his  arms. 
The  benignity  of  that  sculptured  form  im 
pressed  even  George  Johnny. 

"  Is  it  God  ?  "  he  whispered. 

"  Yes,"  said  Martha  Mary.  And  then, 
for  further  elucidation,  "  He  's  mindin'  the 
baby." 

But  the  elder  sister  did  not  so  easily  ar 
rive  at  conclusions  when  they  were  all  in 
the  court  room.  Some  of  the  cases  were 
not  difficult  to  understand.  If  a  boy  had 
made  too  dextrous  use  of  a  brick-bat  upon 
the  person  of  a  small  neighbor,  or  if  he  had 
failed  to  observe  the  rights  of  property,  it 
was  clearly  his  due  to  be  reprimanded.  But 
why  did  some  of  the  children  cry  when  their 
only  offense  appeared  to  be  the  lack  of 
proper  care?  Why  were  many  of  the  par 
ents  angry  with  the  Judge,  though  he 
seemed  never  to  be  out  of  temper  or  even 
unkind  ?  And  what  did  it  mean  to  go  to 
Kearney? 

Such  a  general  atmosphere  of  trouble 
brooded  over  the  place,  that  Martha  Mary 
began  to  have  suspicions  whether  she  and 
126 


GOING  TO  LAW 

her  little  flock  might  not,  after  all,  have 
fallen  into  the  abode  of  charities.  Yet  Miss 
Maynard  had  said  —  Martha  Mary  leaned 
forward  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  Kids'  Lady 
sitting  at  one  corner  of  the  long  table,  next 
the  Judge.  That  gentle  face  was  still 
gravely  sweet,  and  there  was  something  in 
its  look,  Martha  Mary  could  not  have  told 
what  it  was,  but  something  which  quieted 
her  forebodings.  She  could  not  make  out 
the  meaning  of  it  all,  but  since  the  Kids' 
Lady  was  here  it  somehow  meant  good;  of 
that  she  felt  assured. 

So  when  a  man  with  a  loud  voice  ran  his 
finger  down  the  page  of  an  enormous  book 
and  said  something  about  the  Blatzenfeld 
case,  she  was  not  at  all  uneasy.  Miss  May 
nard  motioned  to  them  to  come  and  sit  in 
chairs  beside  her.  Then,  when  Sunshine 
had  climbed  up,  George  Johnny  had  been 
lifted  up,  and  Jakey  and  Martha  Mary  had 
sidled  into  their  places,  the  Judge  looked 
down  the  diminishing  line  with  a  smile, 
and  brought  his  gaze  back  to  the  eldest 
girl. 

127 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

"  So  this  is  the  mother  of  the  family?  " 
he  observed. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  the  girl,  promptly,  un 
conscious  that  any  one  was  amused.  In 
deed,  it  was  not  amusement  which  shone  in 
the  Judge's  deep-blue  eyes.  Martha  Mary, 
looking  into  those  eyes,  made  up  her  mind 
instantly  that  she  liked  the  Judge. 

Miss  Maynard  answered  the  Judge's 
questions.  They  were  few  and  simple ;  the 
Blatzenfeld  case,  so  far,  being  chiefly 
distinguished  by  its  lack  of  complica 
tions. 

"  Can  you  accommodate  them  for  the 
present?"  asked  the  Judge  of  Miss  May 
nard. 

The  Kids'  Lady  replied  that  she  could. 

"  Then  that  will  be  best  until  we  can  make 
further  arrangements,"  concluded  the  Judge. 
"  You  have  been  a  good  little  mother." 
He  patted  Martha  Mary  on  the  shoulder, 
as  he  had  done  on  that  evening  when  she 
first  saw  him.  "  A  fine  little  mother,  but 
I  think  it  will  be  best  for  all  of  you  to  stay 
with  Miss  Maynard  for  awhile.  One  thing, 
128 


GOING  TO  LAW 

it  will  be  so  much  better  for  your  baby  out 
there.     Don't  you  think  so  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  sir,"  breathed  Martha  Mary. 
It  was  like  being  sentenced  to  Heaven. 
The  quartette  slid  out  of  their  chairs  to 
make  way  for  others,  Martha  Mary  smiling 
back  happily  at  the  Kids'  Lady.  They  be 
longed  now  to  the  Kids'  Lady.  Only  what 
was  it  the  Judge  meant  about  arrangements  ? 
Martha  Mary  did  not  know,  even  the  word 
would  not  stay  in  her  mind,  but  the  feeling 
it  gave  her  she  could  not  forget. 


129 


CHAPTER  XIII 

HER  "  OWNEST  OWN  " 

AT  last  was  Happy  Blatzenfeld  living 
up  to  the  name  so  casually  bestowed 
by  a  facetious  parent.  Back  of  his  father 
and  mother  were  generations  of  a  strong 
and  simple  people,  and  thereby  Happy  pos 
sessed  what  physicians  exult  over  as  a  good 
constitution.  When,  in  the  Home's  nurs 
ery,  he  was  given  fresh  air,  fresh  milk  and 
fresh  water,  intelligently  administered,  he 
responded  like  any  other  small  animal.  He 
gave  up  looking  a  thousand  years  old  and 
tired  of  it.  In  an  amazingly  short  time  he 
returned  to  gurgling,  dimpling  babyhood. 
His  gold-brown  hair  grew  shiny  in  the  light, 
and  sat  up,  like  little  duck-tails,  in  incipient 
curls  all  over  his  head.  There  was  an  es 
pecially  seductive  ringlet  around  each 
crumply,  pink  ear,  and  his  eyes  were  con 
fidingly  blue. 

130 


HER  "  OWNEST  OWN  " 

Standing  in  the  sun-flooded  nursery  one 
morning,  between  the  white  iron  cribs,  Miss 
Maynard  was  looking  down  at  him.  He 
lay  all  smiles  and  coos,  kicking  up  his  round 
legs  in  a  pair  of  much-washed  and  shrunken 
socks  that  were  still  far  too  big,  and  pad 
dling  the  air  with  short  arms  that  begged 
the  "  taking  "  for  which  there  is  small  lei 
sure  at  county  institutions.  It  was  high 
time,  as  the  Kids'  Lady  well  knew,  that  she 
should  set  in  motion  the  machinery  which 
would  eventually  secure  for  the  little  chap 
a  suitable  and  permanent  home.  There 
would  be  no  difficulty  in  "  placing "  this 
child ;  and,  as  speedily  as  possible,  he  ought 
to  make  room  for  others,  perhaps  less  at 
tractive  than  himself.  Expenses  must  be 
kept  down,  since  superintendents  are  ac 
countable  to  boards,  and  boards,  presum 
ably,  are  accountable  to  tax-payers  who  do 
the  voting. 

Moreover,  though  Happy  was  thriving  in 
the  somewhat  rigid  lap  of  organized  charity, 
he  had  a  right  to  a  flesh  and  blood  father 
and  mother;  and  Miss  Maynard  was  hold- 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

ing  all  this  clearly  in  mind  while  she  gave 
him  a  rolling  snuggle,  which  set  him  off  in 
chirps  of  glee.  The  chirps  subsided,  when 
he  saw  that  she  was  turning  away,  but  re 
doubled  in  joyfulness  almost  immediately  as 
Martha  Mary  appeared  in  the  open  doorway. 
Big  sister,  too,  had  taken  a  modicum  of 
softness  upon  her  angles,  and  as  the  Kids' 
Lady  watched  her  seize  the  welcoming  baby 
and  sit  down,  hugging  him  all  in  a  fat  and 
tumbled  bundle  into  her  arms,  she  thought 
the  love  in  the  plain  little  face  was  as  sweet 
a  light  as  she  had  ever  seen.  But  there  was 
no  denying  that  Martha  Mary  was  not  a 
pretty  child,  especially  now  that  she  was 
nearing  the  age  when  skirts  seem  always 
too  short  and  elbows  too  aggressive.  Even 
artfully  fashioned  attire  often  falls  power 
less,  while  of  course,  Martha  Mary  wore 
the  left-overs  which  arrived  at  the  institu 
tion  in  bundles  generously  huge,  if  not  al 
ways  suitable  in  contents.  Her  present 
frock,  of  red  wool  that  had  faded  in  wash 
ing,  was  remarkably  like  a  length  of  stove 
pipe  with  a  deep  frill  at  the  bottom.  It  was 
132 


HER  "  OWNEST  OWN  " 

a  style  known  as  the  "  Baby-Doll "  dress, 
and  since  it  was  undeniably  and  hideously 
the  mode,  Martha  Mary  rejoiced  in  it,  de 
claring  it  "  swell !  " 

The  little  girl  possessed  a  sort  of  snap 
ping  optimism  which  enabled  her  to  view 
many  seemingly  adverse  circumstances  in 
a  high  light  of  very  genuine,  if  sometimes 
amusing,  satisfaction.  But  there  could  be 
no  doubt  about  the  rapturous  attributes  of 
the  baby  she  was  holding. 

"Ain't  he  just  the  beautifulest! "  she 
cried,  trying  to  turn  him  around  for  Miss 
Maynard's  better  inspection,  while  he 
bounced  and  teetered  upon  legs  which  were 
completely  untrustworthy.  With  a  crow  of 
victory,  he  clutched  both  hands  into  Martha 
Mary's  smoothly  brushed  and  braided  hair. 

"  Now,  now,  baby  must  n't  be  naughty !  " 
the  girl  crooned,  and  in  her  voice  was  a 
mother  note,  as  she  gently  strove  to  detach 
the  clawing  pink  ringers.  "  He  always  was 
good,  even  when  he  was  sickest,  but  now 
he  's  just  —  just  a  dumpling  angel!  An' 
you  know,  Miss  Maynard,"  Martha  Mary 
133 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

looked  up  earnestly  into  the  face  above  her, 
"  I  ain't  hardly  any  homesick  for  Jakey ; 
'specially,  since  he  's  in  such  a  good  place 
with  that  widow-lady,  an'  goin'  on  with  his 
carryin'  papers,  an'  everything.  Sunshine 
an'  George  Johnny,  they  're  plum  stuck  on 
this  kinter  garden,  an'  Sunshine  don't  have 
a  hollerin'  spell  half  so  often.  Do  you  think 
she  does  ?  " 

"  No,  indeed,"  Miss  Maynard  acquiesced. 
"  She  will  learn  in  time  to  control  her  tem 
per." 

"  Yes  'm,  I  guess  so."  Martha  Mary's 
tone  carried  a  shade  of  doubt.  "  Anyhow, 
she  's  awful  smart.  But  Happy,  he  's  my 
ownest-own  baby,  an'  I  love  him  most  to 
pieces !  "  She  kissed  him  ravenously,  in  the 
soft  places  of  his  neck,  holding  him  so  tight 
that  he  squealed  in  protest.  The  Kids' 
Lady,  meanwhile,  drew  a  long  breath  which 
was  very  like  a  sigh. 

"  I  think,"  she  said,  "  you  'd  better  come 
with  me  now." 

Martha  Mary  got  to  her  feet  with  as 
much  promptness  as  the  weight  of  the  baby 
134 


HER  "  OWNEST  OWN  " 

would  permit,  and  lifted  the  disappointed 
Happy  into  the  middle  of  his  crib. 

"  Yes  'm,"  the  little  girl  reminded  her 
self,  "  I  expect  Miss  Helen  's  needin'  me  to 
peel  on  the  potatoes."  From  the  first  she 
had  evinced  a  willing,  if  sometimes  almost 
too  vigorous,  zeal  in  the  kitchen,  a  zeal  which 
was  extremely  useful  in  a  menage  depend 
ent,  in  a  large  measure,  upon  transient  and 
often  sulky  helpers. 

As  they  went  to  the  stair-head  together, 
the  Kids'  Lady  reached  out  an  encircling 
arm  and  led  the  child  into  her  own  room, 
then  closed  the  door.  She  had  an  impulse 
to  take  the  little  girl  into  her  lap,  but  felt, 
all  at  once,  that  Martha  Mary  was  not  used 
to  that,  and  so  sat  down  and  drew  the 
little  figure  close  to  her. 

"  I  want  to  talk  to  you,  dear,"  she 
said. 

At  once  Martha  Mary  looked  frightened. 

"  Now,   don't  worry.     You  are  a  good 

girl    and    you    have    pleased    me    always, 

pleased  me  so  much  that  I  should  like  to  keep 

you,  and  George  Johnny,  and  Sunshine,  and 

135 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

the  baby,  keep  all  of  you  right  here.  But 
you  see  that  is  not  possible.  We  must  find 
good  homes  for  you  all,  such  as  Jakey  al 
ready  has.  We  have  to  make  room,  you 
understand,  for  other  children  who  need  to 
come  here.  Now  Georgie  or  Sunshine  may 
go  first,  but  the  baby  is  so  sweet !  and  there 
are  many  women  who  would  like  such  a 
baby.  You  are  a  very  helpful,  active  little 
girl;  there  will  be  (not  quite  so  soon,  per 
haps)  a  place  for  you,  too.  You  would  be 
willing,  wouldn't  you?  You  would  see 
that  this  is  best;  that  it  may  be  the  only 
plan?" 

The  child  had  drawn  away  from  her  and 
now  stood  at  a  little  distance,  big-eyed,  with 
an  expression  of  weird  maturity  in  her 
small  face. 

"  Do  you  mean  ?  —  let  somebody  have 
Happy  for  their  baby?  And  me  go  live 
with  other  folks?" 

Miss   Maynard  sought  safety  in  delay. 

"  Perhaps  not,  dear.     We  will  try  very  hard 

to  arrange  it  so  that  you  and  the  baby  may 

be  together.     But  if  it  should  happen  other- 

136 


HER  "  OWNEST  OWN  " 

wise,  if  it  should  be  best  for  him,  then  you 
would  be  willing,  would  n't  you  ?  " 

Martha  Mary  clutched  her  hands  at  her 
sides,  and  the  gray  eyes  blazed.  "  No," 
she  cried,  "  I  would  n't,  and  I  won't! " 

It  was  well  that  the  wisdom  of  the  wroman 
understood,  how  this  rebellion  was  not  in 
the  least  against  her  authority.  But  be 
fore  she  could  speak,  Martha  Mary's  head 
came  burrowing  into  her  lap,  and  the  little 
girl  was  choking  out,  in  the  midst  of  child 
hood's  despairing  tears,  that  Happy  was 
her  "  ownest-own  baby "  and  nobody  else 
should  ever  have  him  to  keep,  not  "  ever 
nor  ever !  " 

She  grew  comforted  when  Miss  Maynard 
took  her  into  her  arms,  and  by  and  by  she 
raised  her  eyes,  much  swollen  but  already 
lighted  with  their  natural  shrewd  philoso 
phy: 

"  Course,  I  could  n't  never  stand  to  have 
him  git  so  sick  again,  but  any  lady  would  n't 
want  to  tend  him  all  the  time ;  now,  would 
she  ?  And  he  likes  me  awful  well.  I  guess 
the  lady  would  let  me  go,  too,  to  take  care  of 

137 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

him."  She  looked  up  into  Miss  Maynard's 
face  with  something  like  a  smile.  "  She 
would,  would  n't  she  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  do  think  she  would,"  the  Kids' 
Lady  answered,  "  and  we  will  see  about  it 
right  away." 


138 


CHAPTER  XIV 

FORCED    SURRENDER 

THE  facts  needed  no  adorning  to  make 
what  a  young  newspaper  reporter 
voted  "  good  stuff."  The  staff  photogra 
pher  came  out  to  the  Home  to  take  a  picture 
of  the  children  together,  and  the  reporter 
wrote  a  "  story "  that  undoubtedly  had 
"  heart  interest."  But  the  paper  was 
crowded  for  space  that  day;  so  the  city 
editor  drew  a  blue  pencil  through  all  but 
the  first  two  paragraphs  of  the  little  tale. 
The  most  the  public  got  was  an  enticing 
likeness  of  Happy,  who  came  out  well,  a 
blur  of  a  plain  little  girl,  and  the  informa 
tion  that  the  two  needed  a  home  and  would 
like  to  be  together. 

When  Miss  Maynard,  glancing  from  the 
window  the  next  day  as  visitors  were  an 
nounced,  saw  at  the  curb  a  shining,  long- 
bodied  car,  with  a  waiting  chauffeur,  she 

139 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

surmised  at  once  that  she  had  been  correct 
about  the  drawing  power  of  little  Happy's 
pictured  face. 

She  liked  the  big  business  man  who 
stepped  aside  to  allow  the  pale,  pretty  wo 
man  to  enter  before  him.  The  woman  said, 
quite  without  preface: 

"  Is  he  here  yet  ?  the  lovely  baby  ?  that 
was  in  the  paper?  " 

The  assurance  that  he  was  brought  a 
look  of  relief. 

"  I  was  afraid  he  might  be  gone  before 
we  could  come,"  sighed  the  visitor.  (The 
name  on  her  card  was  Mrs.  Addison.) 
"  May  we  see  him  now,  please  ? "  Her 
manner  held  the  graciousness  that  assumes 
acquiescence. 

To  fetch  the  baby  Miss  Maynard  went 
herself,  ascertaining  at  the  same  time  that 
Martha  Mary  was  in  the  kitchen.  A  fresh 
white  slip,  a  few  touches  to  the  enterprising 
gold  duck-tails,  and  Happy  made  his  ap 
pearance  in  the  library,  radiating  amiability. 

The  woman  approached  a  trifle  timidly, 
while  her  husband  stepped  back ;  but  finding 
140 


FORCED  SURRENDER 

that  the  child  had  no  fear  of  strangers, 
Mrs.  Addison  surrounded  him  with  eager 
arms. 

"  You  rosebud  thing !  And  to  think  you 
should  need  a  home !  a  home !  " 

She  carried  the  baby  over  to  her  husband, 
and  leaning  close  against  him,  half  put  the 
boy  into  his  arms.  Mr.  Addison  dinted 
the  child's  cheek  with  a  tentative  finger,  and 
Happy  returned  the  courtesy  by  an  ineffec 
tual  grab  for  the  gold-rimmed  eyeglasses 
above  him. 

"  Is  n't  he  just  what  we  have  been  wish 
ing  for,  dear?  Let  us  take  him  now.  I 
simply  cannot  go  away  without  him."  The 
wife  looked  up  at  her  husband  with  an  ex 
pression  not  used  to  being  denied,  but  Miss 
Maynard  suggested: 

"  There  are  several  other  babies  here  you 
might  like  to  see.  And,  you  know,  this  lit 
tle  fellow  has  a  sister,  some  years  older. 
We  had  hoped  to  place  the  two  together. 
There  are  other  children  in  the  family,  but 
the  little  girl  is  especially  fond  of  this  baby. 
She  has  had  much  of  the  care  of  him." 
141 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

Mrs.  Addison  was  listening  sympatheti 
cally. 

"  We  gleaned  something  of  that  from  the 
paper,"  she  said.  "  But  I  —  but,  you 
see — "  She  looked  up  at  her  husband. 
"  Robert,  I  believe  I  could  tell  Miss  Maynard 
better,  just  by  ourselves." 

"  Surely,  surely,"  he  responded,  and  when 
the  superintendent  had  ushered  him  into  an 
adjoining  room  she  returned  to  find  his 
wife  established  in  a  rocker,  the  baby  in 
her  lap,  her  story  already  written  in  her 
face. 

"  You  see,  it  is  n't  that  we  could  n't  take 
two  children,  Miss  Maynard,  but  we  have  so 
wanted  a  baby  of  our  own.  And  when  we 
knew  we  must  give  that  up  .  .  ."  She 
paused  a  moment,  her  lips  trembling,  then 
went  on  again,  "  It  seemed  to  me  I  had  to 
find  one  somewhere  to  fill  the  place.  It 
is  n't  so  easy.  There  are  so  many  you 
could  n't  take,  but  when  I  saw  this  darling's 
picture  .  .  ."  She  looked  down  at  the 
little  fellow  with  a  face  of  rapture,  and  he 
smiled  back  while  he  tried  to  get  the  frilly 
142 


FORCED  SURRENDER 

end  of  her  long  veil  into  his  mouth,  but 
tickled  his  nose  instead  and  made  himself 
sneeze. 

Mrs.  Addison  laughed  like  a  girl,  with  the 
sudden  reaction,  and  held  the  baby  closer,  at 
the  same  time  looking  with  bright  confidence 
at  Miss  Maynard. 

"  You  doubtless  know  of  Mr.  Addison? — 
Addison  and  Blake?  We  can  give  every 
reference  and  assurance  that  could  possibly 
be  desired.  And  could  n't  the  baby  go  with 
us  now  ?  You  know,  we  had  concluded  that 
if  we  found  the  right  child  we  did  n't  want 
to  know  about  his  parentage.  Very  im 
practical,  I  suppose,  but  if  we  had  that  al 
ways  in  our  minds  it  might  make  him  seem 
less  our  own.  Could  n't  he  possibly  go 
with  us  now?  and  the  stupid  business  ar 
rangements  be  made  later  ?  " 

It  took  a  moment's  thought  before  Miss 
Maynard  said : 

"  Only  the  court,  of  course,  has  author 
ity  to  give  him  to  you.  I  might  let  him  go 
for  a  visit,  which  could,  without  a  doubt,  be 
indefinitely  prolonged."  She  smiled,  then 

H3 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

grew  serious  again.  "  But  I  must  tell  you, 
Mrs.  Addison,  that  I  feel  his  sister  has  a 
right  to  be  asked." 

The  visitor's  delicate  forehead  creased  in 
disappointment. 

"But  what  if  she  objects?  Oh,  she 
must  n't  do  that.  She  would  n't  surely, 
would  she?  At  least,  not  if  she  understood 
how  much  we  could  do  for  the  baby.  Of 
course  she  loves  him,  but  even  a  little  girl 
will  understand  —  could  n't  you  ask  her 
right  away?  I  think  I  would  rather  not  see 
her.  If  we  never  saw  her  it  would  be  so 
much  easier  not  to  remember,  don't  you 
know,  about  the  baby." 

"  Yes,  I  think  I  get  your  meaning."  Miss 
Maynard  appeared  to  hesitate  a  moment, 
then  she  opened  the  door  to  admit  Mr. 
Addison,  and  at  the  same  time  left  the 
room. 

She  found  Martha  Mary  still  in  the 
kitchen,  her  thin  arms  resting  upon  the  edge 
of  a  huge  pan  of  muddy  water  and  potato 
parings,  just  removing  the  brown  coat  from 
the  "  last  of  the  littlest  ones."  Fortunately 
144 


FORCED  SURRENDER 

she  was  alone  for  the  moment  and  Miss 
Maynard  gratefully  seized  the  opportunity 
to  have  the  matter  appear  casual. 

"  A  lady  and  gentleman  are  here,  Martha 
Mary,  to  see  Happy.  They  are  so  pleased 
with  him  that  they  want  to  take  him  home 
with  them  for  a  little  visit.  I  told  them  I 
would  ask  you.  I  was  sure  you  would  be 
willing." 

Miss  Maynard  was  conscious  that  she  had 
made  a  poor  success  of  her  effort  to  speak 
lightly.  Without  lifting  the  potato  pan 
Martha  Mary  appeared  to  slide  out 
from  under  it,  leaving  it  to  occupy  the 
chair. 

"Shall  I  go  get  my  things  now?"  she 
asked. 

"  That  was  not  what  I  meant,  dear,"  cor 
rected  her  friend.  "  I  meant  would  you  be 
willing  to  have  the  baby  go  ?  It  is  only  the 
baby  they  want,  at  present  —  for  a  visit, 
you  know." 

Martha  Mary  had  sidled  away  and  now 
stood  with  her  back  to  the  door.  Miss 
Maynard  could  see  that  she  was  pale,  even 

145 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

under  the  freckles.  In  spite  of  herself  the 
Kids'  Lady  felt  impelled  to  a  futile  attempt 
at  explanation. 

"  It  is  only  for  a  visit,  now,"  she  repeated 
lamely.  "  Mrs.  Addison  seems  a  very  sweet 
woman.  You  think  it  is  best,  don't  you,  to 
let  the  baby  have  this  good  chance?  They 
Will  take  excellent  care  of  him." 

"  Did  she  say  she  would  n't  want  some 
body  to  help  take  care  of  him  ?  " 

"  She  did  n't  say  she  would  n't,"  Miss 
Maynard  felt  herself  floundering  before  that 
direct  gaze.  "  But  this  is  not  a  permanent 
arrangement,  you  know.  I  felt  that  we 
ought  not  to  interpose  any  obstacles — " 
She  stopped,  not  wishing  to  designate 
Martha  Mary  as  an  obstacle,  but  her  caution 
was  wasted.  All  the  possibilities  were 
darkly  shadowed  in  the  depths  of  Martha 
Mary's  eyes.  The  child  seemed  to  flatten 
out  against  the  door,  her  lips  quivered  as  if 
with  speech,  but  enunciated  never  a  syllable. 
Finally  she  grew  crimson,  from  the  ends  of 
the  small  hands  pressed  against  the  wood 
work,  clear  to  the  margin  of  her  hair. 
146 


FORCED  SURRENDER 

And  then  she  burst  out,  almost  in  one  word, 
which  ended  in  a  sobbing  scream : 

"  She  can  have  him !  she  can  have  him ! 
she  can  have  him!  I  don't  care!"  And 
flinging  her  slim  body  around  the  edge  of 
the  door,  she  banged  it  behind  her,  and  was 
gone. 

Miss  Maynard  stood  a  moment  looking 
after  her,  but  not  in  vexation  nor  even  in 
astonishment  at  this  sudden  outburst, —  she 
knew  Martha  Mary.  She  sighed,  at  last, 
and,  turning  slowly,  went  back  to  the  front 
of  the  house. 

The  Addisons  glanced  up  at  her  when  she 
entered  the  office,  with  just  the  air  of  ex 
pectant  confidence  which  she  had  antici 
pated  !  they  were  so  used  to  getting  whatever 
they  wanted.  Miss  Maynard's  briefly 
worded  consent  to  their  taking  the  baby 
home  with  them  they  received  with  gracious 
courtesy.  About  the  sister  they  asked  no 
questions. 

When  Happy  was  at  last  swished  away  in 
the  shining  car  amid  dust  and  honkings, 
the  Kids'  Lady  felt  relieved.  There  had 
147 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

been  moments  when  she  had  feared  she  was 
going  to  lose  sight  of  her  duty.  Now  she 
could  go  to  Martha  Mary. 

She  was  sure  where  the  child  could  be 
found  and  there  she  was,  a  sodden  heap  in 
the  middle  of  her  small  white  bed.  Miss 
Maynard  bent  over  and  smoothed  the  damp 
hair  back  from  the  little  hot  forehead,  but 
Martha  Mary  only  hid  her  face  the  tighter 
and  her  whole  body  shook.  She  could  not 
see  how  pitying  was  the  face  of  the  Kids' 
Lady  as  she  sat  down  on  the  side  of  the  bed 
and  waited.  Finally  came  a  voice  from 
above : 

"  They  are  not  taking  him  to  keep  —  not 
yet,  Martha  Mary." 

The  child  turned  her  face  up  quickly: 
"  Don't  they  want  him  ?  "  she  asked,  with 
mingled  incredulity  and  resentment. 

"  They  want  him  greatly,"  assured  the 
Kids'  Lady,  and  then  she  added,  afraid  of 
promising  too  much,  "  It  may  be  differently 
arranged." 

Martha  Mary  made  no  sign  except  once 
more  to  turn  away  her  head. 
148 


CHAPTER  XV 

STAMPEDED 

MARTHA  MARY-no  longer  needed  to 
ask,  Martha  Mary  knew  that  this 
place  to  which  they  had  come  was  some  sort 
of  a  charities.  When  the  lady  of  the  watch 
had  offered  a  home  to  Jakey,  because  she 
was  lonely  and  wanted  a  boy  about  the 
house,  it  had  seemed  a  lucky  chance.  She 
was  not  a  rich  lady  at  all ;  she  said  she  would 
have  liked  to  take  all  the  little  family,  had  it 
been  possible.  Jakey  was  still  to  sell  papers 
and  Miss  Maynard  pronounced  that  just 
as  well,  because  it  would  "  develop  his  char 
acter."  About  this  phase  of  the  affair 
Martha  Mary  had  not  much  of  an  opinion, 
but  since  Jakey  liked  the  arrangement  well 
enough  to  vote  it  "  a  snap  "  the  elder  sister 
was  satisfied. 

Now  if  somebody  should  want  Sunshine 
and  George  Johnny,  if  somebody  very  nice 
149 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

should  come,  who  looked  able  to  manage 
Sunshine,  Martha  Mary  felt  that  she  could, 
perhaps,  bear  to  see  them  go,  because  she 
was  beginning  to  understand  how  it  was 
best. 

But  not  the  baby!  oh,  no,  not  her  baby! 
Never  the  baby! 

She  no  longer  believed  that  any  one 
would  take  Happy  and  her  together.  She 
did  not  even  believe  that  the  baby  would 
come  back  from  his  visiting.  In  fact,  there 
was  not  much  left  of  Martha  Mary's  be 
liefs,  once  so  upspringing.  The  gay  little 
spirit  which  had  brought  her  through  so 
many  adversities,  and  kept  her  full  of  vim 
and  laughter,  was  fast  losing  its  power  of 
reaction.  Almost,  Martha  Mary  did  not 
believe  in  the  Kids'  Lady.  She  still  loved 
her ;  oh,  yes,  she  loved  her !  yet  that  in  itself 
was  somehow  a  pain.  She  could  not  con 
fide  in  her  any  more,  and  she  asked  no  fur 
ther  questions.  She  said  little  to  any  one, 
and  she  steadfastly  pared  potatoes  because 
she  no  longer  cared  to  play.  She  was  very 
glad  of  potatoes.  But  when  those  faithful 
150 


STAMPEDED 

vegetables  were  served  with  the  other  sim 
ple  food,  which  at  first  had  steamed  so  in 
vitingly  upon  the  long  tables,  Martha  Mary 
had  no  appetite.  Somewhere  inside  her 
was  a  weight,  a  sickening  heaviness. 

She  would  have  been  greatly  surprised  to 
know  that  Miss  Maynard,  too,  was  carry 
ing  a  troubled  heart.  Martha  Mary  could 
never  have  dreamed  how  deeply  it  con 
cerned  the  Kids'  Lady  because  one  little 
girl  was  grown  dull-eyed  and  slow  of  step. 
When,  about  this  time,  school  began,  it  was 
a  relief  to  both  of  them.  A  relief  to  the 
woman  because  she  hoped  the  new  occupa 
tions  and  interests  would  furnish  for 
Martha  Mary  a  diversion  and  a  stimulant, 
and  to  the  child,  because  the  school  was 
some  distance  away  from  the  Home,  which 
meant  a  long  walk  in  the  dreaming  days  of 
amber  sunshine.  She  liked  to  slip  away  at 
noon  and  morning  before  the  other  children 
started  and  go  quietly  by  herself,  and  Miss 
Maynard  humored  her,  since  Martha  Mary 
was  always  to  be  relied  upon. 

How    could    she    suspect    that    Martha 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

Mary,  having  small  interest  in  her  dinner 
one  noon,  and  thereby  starting  for  school 
unusually  early,  would  make  a  wide  detour 
to  pass  by  a  park?  Or  how  could  any  one 
have  foreseen  that,  having  done  this,  the  lit 
tle  girl  would  meet  with  a  portentous  adven 
ture? 

Immediately  there  sprang  into  Martha 
Mary's  brain  an  invincible  determination. 
The  details  of  her  enterprise  she  worked  out 
deliberately  in  the  next  two  days,  but  when 
it  came  to  putting  them  into  execution,  her 
courage  was  near  to  failing. 

Easy  enough  it  seemed  to  fold  up  her  few 
extra  pieces  of  clothing  and  conceal  them  in 
her  school  bag,  but  the  doing  of  it  proved  a 
tremendous  task.  Surely,  never  before,  had 
any  paper  rattled  with  such  a  guilty  sibi- 
lance  as  did  that  one  printed  sheet  which 
she  essayed  to  wrap  about  her  little  gar 
ments.  Finally  they  were  stowed  away  in 
the  bottom  of  the  bag  with  books  on  top, 
and  then,  how  the  paper  kept  crackling  as 
she  made  her  way  out  of  the  front  door, 
ostensibly  starting  for  school! 
152 


STAMPEDED 

But  she  did  not  go  on  down  the  walk ;  in 
stead,  she  wandered  vaguely  to  the  back  of 
the  grounds.  Beyond,  in  the  garden,  a  dull- 
witted  fellow  was  digging  turnips.  The 
mellow,  brown  earth  fell  away  easily  from 
the  white  and  purple  globes.  The  digger 
stopped,  and,  leaning  on  his  fork,  began  to 
munch  one  of  the  crisp  vegetables.  Evi 
dently  he  took  no  cognizance  of  Martha 
Mary;  she  began  to  breathe  easier. 

With  as  casual  an  air  as  she  could  com 
mand  she  walked  across  the  yard  to  a  bench 
which  stood  under  a  tree  near  the  edge  of 
a  steep  terrace.  Here  she  seated  herself, 
brushing  away  some  of  the  yellow  leaves 
that  lay  everywhere.  All  the  while  other 
leaves  came  balancing  idly  down,  like  flakes 
of  sunshine  as  the  morning  light  shone 
through  them.  There  was  nothing  to  pre 
vent  her  departing,  as  she  did  every  morn 
ing,  for  school,  yet  Martha  Mary  could  not 
start. 

Then,  suddenly,  her  very  breath  stopped 
to  listen ;  from  the  house  some  one  was  call 
ing  her.  Twice,  and  a  third  time  the  voice 
153 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

of  one  of  the  teachers  sounded  through  the 
still  air.  Doubtless  she  was  wanted  for 
some  part  of  her  work  which  had  been  for 
gotten.  What  she  had  done  and  what  she 
had  not  done  of  her  accustomed  tasks  that 
morning,  she  could  not  have  told  in  the 
least. 

But  the  call  was  the  one  touch  needed  to 
set  her  loose.  Like  a  flash  she  was  seated 
on  the  grass  at  the  edge  of  the  terrace. 
One  jerk  of  her  bag  into  her  lap  and  she 
was  coasting  swiftly  down  the  incline. 
The  moment  that  her  feet  had  touched  the 
pavement,  the  impetus  of  her  slide  sent  her 
on,  and  away  she  went,  well  out  of  sight  in 
the  lowered  street,  but  still  fleeing  in  an 
actual  terror  of  pursuit.  Even  when  she 
had  reached  unaccustomed  ways  she  kept 
on  running,  her  heavy  bag  slapping  her  thin 
leg  and  her  head  turning  at  every  new 
sound  to  glance  back  over  her  shoulder. 


154 


CHAPTER  XVI 

TO  THE  TALL  TIMBER 

ADINSMORE  PARK  squirrel,  wha 
was  patting  down  an  acorn  in  the 
musky  mold  under  a  barberry  bush,  sud 
denly  bobbed  upright  on  his  haunches 
and  made  a  few  emphatic  and  well-chosen 
remarks.  His  protest  being  quite  un 
heeded,  he  took  three  curving  leaps  and 
shinned  half  way  up  the  trunk  of  an  oak 
tree.  Then,  being  a  park  squirrel,  and 
used  to  holding  his  ground  against  ubiqui 
tous  humans,  he  stopped  flaunting  an  in 
solent  tail,  and  continued  his  execrations. 

It  was  all  very  well,  of  course,  for  people 
on  business  —  men  and  women  who  had  to 
go  to  work  —  to  pass  through  the  park  in  the 
early  morning.  They  went  rapidly  crunch 
ing  along  the  paths,  intent  upon  their  own 
affairs ;  they  did  not  in  the  least  disturb  an 
industrious  and  self-respecting  squirrel  who 
155 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

was  up  and  at  work  every  morning  at  day 
break  in  order  to  have  his  winter  supplies 
well  in  cold  storage.  But  this  little  girl 
who  came  pushing  right  through  the  thicket 
of  shrubbery,  even  stooping  to  crawl  under 
the  prickly  boughs  of  the  squirrel's  own 
barberry  bush,  this  child  was  an  intrusion 
and  an  impertinence.  He  had  told  her  how 
he  felt  about  it  in  perfectly  adequate  lan 
guage,  and  she  paid  not  the  slightest  atten 
tion,  even  seemed  oblivious  of  his  presence. 

So,  finally,  he  let  fall  his  remonstrant  tail, 
went  slouching  up  the  tree  to  the  first  hori 
zontal  limb,  and,  stretching  himself  com 
fortably  along,  let  his  legs  hang  down  on 
either  side  of  the  branch.  If  a  surcease 
from  toil  were  to  be  forced  upon  him,  he 
might  as  well  relax  and  get  the  full  ben 
efit. 

The  child  did  not  look  up  at  him,  though 
he  tilted  his  head  comfortably  sidewise,  to 
regard  her  fixedly  and  with  a  beady  eye. 
A  very  plain  child ;  there  could  be  no  doubt 
of  that,  even  though  the  color  of  her  hair 
was  not  so  bad,  being  much  the  shade  of  his 
own  tail.  She  appeared  to  have  been  in  a 
156 


TO  THE  TALL  TIMBER 

great  hurry  about  something.  Her  little 
chest  heaved,  and  there  was  red  between  the 
round  brown  spots  on  her  cheek.  She  sat 
down  on  the  soft  old  leaves,  under  the  shel 
ter  of  the  barberry  bush,  and  just  sat  there. 
So  long  she  sat  that  the  squirrel  was  about 
making  up  his  mind  that  if  this  small  person 
was  established  right  in  the  midst  of  his 
larder  for  the  rest  of  the  day,  he  might  as 
well  betake  himself  to  other  labors. 

But  just  then  she  began  to  move  about 
once  more.  Out  of  a  hempen  school-bag, 
big  and  frayed,  she  took  a  bundle  wrapped 
in  newspapers.  This  she  laid  to  one  side, 
drew  two  school  books  from  the  bag,  and 
scraping  away  the  rustling  brown  and 
tawny  leaves,  laid  books  and  bag  down  flat, 
pushed  the  leaves  over  them  again,  until 
they  were  almost  concealed,  then  seemed  to 
contemplate  her  work. 

The  squirrel  understood  that.  This  girl 
creature  was  storing  her  property  for  win 
ter.  He  was  about  to  conceive  a  slight  re 
spect  for  her  when  she  suddenly  uncovered 
the  articles  and  began  to  dig  in  the  soft 
mold  in  good  earnest.  She  easily  ex- 
157 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

cavated  a  small  hollow,  then  shoved  in  bag 
and  books  once  more,  covered  them  thor 
oughly  this  time,  scattered  leaves  over  the 
top,  and  regarded  the  result  with  evident 
satisfaction. 

Not  so  the  Dinsmore  Park  squirrel.  He 
had  seen  acorn  after  acorn  of  his  careful 
storing  thrown  heedlessly  aside  or  buried 
in  the  earth  beyond  recovery.  In  high 
dudgeon  and  barking  angrily,  he  went 
scratching  up  the  tree's  rough  bark,  clear 
to  the  top  and  leaping  to  the  out-reaching 
branch  of  another  tree,  went  bounding 
away  through  the  topmost  boughs,  his  in 
dignant  tail  flapping  like  a  sail  behind  him. 

Such  an  outburst  attracted  the  attention 
of  even  a  preoccupied  Martha  Mary.  She 
lifted  her  eyes  to  the  sprightly  thing  that 
whisked  so  airily  among  the  branches,  re 
garded  with  unconscious  envy  his  appar 
ently  untrammeled  freedom ;  and  then,  quite 
oblivious  of  the  fact  that  she  had  just  over 
turned  a  vital  part  of  his  world,  she  sat 
down  with  a  sigh  at  the  foot  of  the  oak  and 
appeared  to  settle  herself  to  wait. 
158 


TO  THE  TALL  TIMBER 

Quietly,  for  a  long  time,  she  remained  in 
this  nook  among  the  bushes,  while  the  sun, 
growing  warmer,  filtered  down  through  the 
tree's  thinning  foliage  to  dance  upon 
Martha  Mary's  blue  dress  and  upon  the  flat- 
lying  grass.  The  sound  of  passing  feet 
and  voices  came  now  and  then  from  the 
walks  and  driveways,  but  no  one  ap 
proached  this  refuge  among  the  shrubbery. 

At  last,  when  she  was  sure  it  was  well 
after  9  o'clock,  she  got  up  and  wandered 
about  the  paths,  strolled  down  by  the  foun 
tain,  watched  the  glimmering  gold  fish,  and 
afterward  diverted  herself  as  best  she  could 
with  the  absurd  posturings  of  an  old  pelican 
who  had  his  abode  on  the  edge  of  a  pond. 
That  queer  bird  must  have  been  fixed  in  the 
opinion  that  children  existed  for  the  sole 
purpose  of  bringing  him  food.  He  pursued 
Martha  Mary  upon  ineffectual  legs,  with 
suppliant,  baggy  beak;  and  she  would  have 
found  him  laughable,  had  her  frame  of 
mind  been  less  serious. 

Always  she  was  watching  the  paths  which 
led  to  the  park  entrances ;  with  strained  gaze 
159 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

she  examined  every  one  who  approached, 
while  varying  shades  of  disappointment 
crossed  her  face.  Finally  there  came 
slowly  down  the  hill  a  slender,  pretty  wo 
man,  wheeling  a  baby-cab.  At  the  first 
glimpse  of  her  Martha  Mary  crimsoned, 
caught  her  breath,  stood  for  a  moment 
staring,  then  crossed  deliberately  to  a  bench 
beside  the  path  and  seated  herself.  No  one, 
passing  by,  would  have  imagined  that  this 
little  girl,  who  so  calmly  watched  a  pelican 
dawdling  on  the  edge  of  a  pond,  was  chok 
ing  with  anxiety  and  suspense. 

When  the  crunching  of  gravel  under 
small  wheels  told  Martha  Mary  that  the 
new-comers  were  nearly  opposite,  she 
turned  casual  eyes  in  that  direction.  The 
lady  certainly  was  very  pretty  and  elegant, 
and  the  perambulator  was  a  fine  affair, 
though  it  seemed  heavy  to  push. 

But  it  was  the  baby  in  the  perambulator 
whom  Martha  Mary  eyed  hungrily  from 
beneath  lowered  lids.  He  was  a  pink, 
plump,  complacent  baby,  and  his  cap  and 
coat  were  of  white  silk,  heavy  with  em- 
160 


TO  THE  TALL  TIMBER 

broidery.  His  blue  eyes  were  regarding 
the  universe  in  drowsy  approbation,  but 
when  his  gaze  fell  upon  the  little  girl  on  the 
park  bench,  his  face  lighted,  he  bounced  in 
his  cab  until  the  springs  teetered  up  and 
down;  he  struggled  against  the  beribboned 
strap  which  held  him  in,  and  he  laughed 
aloud  with  absurd  chirpings  and  chucklings, 
while  he  threw  himself  backward  and 
forward,  at  the  same  time  reaching  out 
eager  arms,  unmistakably  extended  toward 
Martha  Mary. 

The  lady  stopped  and  came  around  in 
front  of  the  baby,  where  she  lifted  him  up 
and  tucked  him  down,  and  executed  various 
small  manceuvers  supposed  to  add  to  the 
comfort  of  infants.  All  of  which  did  not 
in  the  least  distract  his  attention.  He  still 
continued  to  wave  his  arms  and  chuckle  at 
Martha  Mary;  and,  rinding  no  heed  was  be 
ing  paid  to  his  manifestations,  feeling  in 
deed  that  his  coach  was  beginning  to  move 
on,  he  introduced  a  threatening  squeal  into 
his  performance. 

A  trifle  doubtfully  the  lady  scrutinized 
161 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

Martha  Mary,  and  then  smiled.  The  little 
girl  looked  clean. 

"  He  is  always  so  fond  of  other  chil 
dren,"  she  explained,  as  she  lifted  him  from 
his  wrappings  and  brought  him  over  to  the 
bench.  She  sat  down  at  the  end,  while  the 
little  girl  timidly  moved  to  the  farther  cor 
ner.  But  this  by  no  means  satisfied  the 
baby.  Still  he  squirmed  and  fretted, 
eagerly  he  reached  and  cooed. 

"  Do  you  like  babies  ?  "  questioned  the 
lady,  thinking  that  this  must  be  a  very  un 
impressionable  girl. 

"  Yes  'm,"  replied  Martha  Mary,  de 
murely.  She  had  an  instinct  that  to  appear 
too  eager  might  spoil  everything.  Happy 
was  doing  enough  for  both  of  them.  The 
triumphant  joy  of  this  moment  was  like  to 
suffocate  Martha  Mary,  but  her  face  was 
as  impassive  as  an  Oriental's.  It  was  not 
for  nothing  that  she  had  laid  these  plans  — 
desperate  plans  she  felt  them  to  be,  and  she 
had  the  courage  of  desperation. 

When  in  that  momentous  noon  hour  a 
few  days  before,  she  had  first  approached 
162 


TO  THE  TALL  TIMBER 

this  park,  it  had  been  with  no  especial  mo 
tive.  The  city  had  many  parks,  and  out 
and  in  the  gateways  of  these  pleasant,  tree- 
shadowed  places  passed  many  women  who 
trundled  before  them  baby-cabs  with  their 
ever  interesting  burdens.  Perhaps,  for 
that  reason,  had  Martha  Mary  been  drawn 
to  this  spot,  and  certainly  her  eyes  were 
very  keen  for  babies.  So  keen  they  were 
that  at  a  distance  of  half  a  block  from  one 
of  those  perambulated  infants,  she  had 
stopped  in  her  tracks  so  abruptly  that  she 
fairly  jumped  backward.  The  perambu 
lator,  the  lady  who  slowly  propelled  it,  and 
the  baby's  attire  were  completely  unknown 
to  her,  but  at  a  much  greater  distance 
Martha  Mary  would  have  known  that  baby. 
She  turned  quite  sick  with  the  shock  of  it, 
and  as  soon  as  she  could  collect  herself  suffi 
ciently  to  get  her  feet  started,  she  hurried 
down  a  side  street. 

But  the  next  day  at  the  same  hour  she 

was  watching  in  the  same  place,  and  there, 

sure  enough,  out  of  the  same  gateway  came 

the  lady,  the  perambulator  and  the  baby! 

163 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

It  was  then  she  began  to  make  her  plans; 
now  she  was  carrying  them  through. 

After  what  she  thought  a  sufficient  inter 
val,  and  when  she  knew  by  indications  that 
Happy  was  preparing  for  a  protest  which 
would  command  his  entire  attention  and 
that  of  every  one  else  for  a  considerable 
period  of  time,  she  proffered  a  gentle  sug 
gestion. 

"  I  could  take  the  baby  a  few  minutes,  if 
you  're  tired.  I  'm  real  used  to  babies." 

Since  her  hands  seemed  to  have  been 
washed  quite  recently  (that  had  been  done 
at  the  fountain  of  the  gold  fish)  the  lady 
agreed  tentatively ;  at  least,  she  bent  slightly 
forward  along  the  bench,  and  loosened  her 
arms. 

Happy  had  grown  a  strong  boy ;  he  gave 
a  leap  from  that  confining  embrace,  and 
the  lady  cried  out;  but  at  the  same  instant 
Martha  Mary's  practised  arms  had  caught 
him.  She  held  him  steady  though  he  was 
executing  a  triumphant  but  startlingly  un 
certain  dance  upon  her  narrow  lap,  while 
he  fairly  shrieked  with  delight  and  made 
164 


TO  THE  TALL  TIMBER 

gleeful  clutches  for  her  hair.  But  Martha 
Mary  held  her  head  well  back  out  of  his 
reach,  as  she  smiled  upon  him  with  a  sagely 
tempered  reserve.  When  he  had  somewhat 
subsided,  and  she  had  him  seated  on  her 
lap  in  the  curve  of  a  motherly  arm,  the  lady 
spoke  again : 

"  You  seem  to  be  used  to  babies." 

"  Oh,  yes  'm ;  I  took  care  of  one  a  long 
time.  He  's  gone  away  now." 

Suddenly  Martha  Mary's  eyes  filled  with 
tears.  She  blinked  them  back  in  dismay; 
tears  had  not  been  in  her  program,  but  they 
served  a  purpose.  The  lady  melted. 

"  Oh,  I  hope  the  baby  did  n't  die !  "  Her 
tone  was  compassionate. 

"  No  'm,"  said  Martha  Mary,  smiling  in 
swift  transition.  "  He  ain't  coming  back, 
though.  I  got  to  find  a  new  place." 

"Have  you?"  said  the  lady.  Martha 
Mary  imagined  she  said  it  consideringly. 

"  Yes  'm,"  the  child  went  on,  pursuing 

her    fancied    advantage.     "  I  'm    going   to 

stay  with  a  lady  across  the  park  here  till  I 

get  a  new  place.     The  lady  ain't  expecting 

165 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

me,  either.  I  don't  know  as  she  '11  be  real 
glad ;  she  's  got  a  good  many." 

Martha  Mary  paused,  in  amaze  at  her 
own  facility  of  invention.  Her  natural  per 
pendicularity  had  kept  her,  for  the  most 
part,  in  simple  paths  of  truth.  Having 
usually  been  equal  to  a  situation,  she  had 
found  no  need  of  evasions.  But  now  she 
was  tasting  the  intoxication  of  a  newly  dis 
covered  talent,  and  would  have  liked  to  go 
on  "  making  up."  In  response  to  the  stim 
ulus  of  a  sympathetic  listener,  all  manner  of 
interesting  details  popped  into  consciousness, 
with  a  vividness  which  almost  convinced  her 
of  their  reality.  But  her  native  shrewdness 
warned  her  in  time;  she  changed  the  sub 
ject. 

"  Might  I  wheel  the  baby  around,  a 
while  ? "  she  asked.  "  I  ain't  in  any 
hurry." 

The  lady  willingly  assented,  and  sat  look 
ing  on  while  the  baby  was  deftly  rear 
ranged  in  his  chariot.  Untiringly  he  was 
perambulated  up  and  down  all  the  near-by 
walks;  he  was  formally  introduced  to  the 
166 


TO  THE  TALL  TIMBER 

pelican ;  he  was  initiated  into  the  delights  of 
watching  for  the  glister  of  gold  fish  in  the 
basin  of  the  fountain;  and  always  he  was 
guarded  with  care  against  possible  accident, 
unfailingly  he  was  treated  with  the  defer 
ence  due  his  social  position,  while  the  lady 
sat  at  her  ease;  and,  observing  all  this, 
looked  pleased. 

Very  well  pleased  she  must  have  been; 
for  when  she  left  the  park  an  hour  later, 
Martha  Mary  was  still  with  her  and  wheel 
ing  the  perambulator.  Happy  was  com 
fortably  asleep,  and  he  would  have  been 
even  more  content,  could  he  have  known 
that  the  newspaper  parcel  going  along 
with  him  in  the  bottom  of  his  cab,  contained 
his  sister's  wardrobe.  ^  Two  new  frocks  she 
had  already  been  promised,  and  the  proper 
nurse-maid's  caps  to  go  with  them.  Mar 
tha  Mary  was  having  queer  sensations, 
there  was  a  light  feeling  in  her  feet,  as 
though  she  were  stepping  in  time  to  music. 


167 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE  PRODIGAL  DAUGHTER 

THE  door  bell  rang!  Since  the  disap 
pearance  of  Martha  Mary  from  the 
Home,  that  tingling  whirr,  each  time  it 
came,  shrilled  always  the  same  thought  into 
the  mind  of  the  Kids'  Lady.  She  had  been 
immediately  concerned  on  that  day  when 
there  was  no  shining  red  head  at  the  dinner 
table.  Questions  evoked  the  information 
that  the  child  had  not  appeared  at  school 
that  forenoon,  though  it  was  established  by 
sufficient  testimony  that  she  was  known  to 
have  started.  What  could  possibly  have 
happened  to  a  wise  little  Martha  Mary,  tak 
ing  her  quiet  way  along  the  streets  of  a 
September  morning  ?  When  no  solution  of 
fered  itself,  the  Kids'  Lady  was  greatly 
alarmed.  She  set  on  foot  inquiries,  the  in 
terest  of  the  various  officers  of  juvenile 
court  was  enlisted,  even  policemen  were  in- 
168 


THE  PRODIGAL  DAUGHTER 

structed  to  keep  an  eye  out  for  a  wiry  little 
girl  with  red  braids  and  freckles,  or  an  ear 
open  for  possible  news  of  her.  But  perhaps 
the  policemen  were  not  over-zealous;  there 
were  so  many  small  girls  with  red  braids  in 
the  city.  Certainly,  no  one  produced  any 
tidings,  and  efforts  soon  lapsed. 

Miss  Maynard  had  more  than  one  dis 
turbed  night  trying  to  persuade  herself  that, 
at  least,  no  misfortune  could  have  befallen 
the  child  or  something  would  surely  have 
been  discovered.  The  persistence  of  her 
anxiety  had  come  to  be  almost  a  vexation. 
Sunshine  and  George  Johnny,  with  the  su 
premely  innocent  selfishness  of  very  young 
children,  took  their  sister's  continued  ab 
sence  quite  philosophically,  and  Miss  May 
nard  sometimes  wished  she  could  share  their 
light-hearted  indifference.  But  any  sound 
of  unusual  voices,  or  a  summons  from  the 
bell,  continued  to  spur  her  instant  attention ; 
and  now,  since  she  happened  to  be  passing 
through  the  hall,  she  opened  the  door  her 
self. 

She  was  not  precisely  surprised  to  see  be- 
169 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

fore  her  Mrs.  Addison,  smiling  her  assured 
little  smile.  Beside  the  lady  stood  her  chaf- 
feur,  and  in  his  arms  was  Happy,  whom  he 
promptly  handed  over  to  Miss  Maynard  as 
if  the  baby  were  a  package  to  be  returned. 

"  It  is  hardly  worth  while  to  come  in,"  be 
gan  Mrs.  Addison,  in  her  pretty  breathless 
way.  "  Well,  just  for  a  moment,  then.  I 
hope  it  won't  be  inconvenient,  having  the 
baby  brought  back  unannounced  like  this. 
Indeed,  I  meant  to  'phone  you  yesterday, 
but  I  really  have  n't  had  a  minute  I  could  call 
my  own. 

"  After  all,  it  was  a  fortunate  thought  of 
yours  that  we  should  take  the  baby  only  for 
a  visit.  You  see,  the  business  of  the  firm 
requires  Mr.  Addison's  presence  in  South 
America,  perhaps  for  quite  a  little  time. 
He  insists  upon  my  going  with  him,  and  we 
shall  be  moving  about  a  good  deal.  I  sup 
pose  we  could  take  a  baby  with  us,  doubt 
less  people  do,  but  we  thought  it  would  n't 
be  best.  The  child  is  so  perfectly  well  now, 
it  would  be  a  pity  to  subject  him  to  any 
thing  upsetting,  would  n't  it  ?  I  have  had 
170 


THE  PRODIGAL  DAUGHTER 

a  little  nurse  girl  for  him,  such  a  homely  lit 
tle  thing,  but  nice,  too.  I  really  even  con 
sidered  taking  them  both  along.  But  it 
complicates  matters  so,  does  n't  it  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  agreed  Miss  Maynard,  rather 
coolly.  She  was  holding  Happy  on  her  lap 
with  both  arms  around  him,  as  if  he  were 
a  very  welcome  guest. 

"  Yes,  it  does,  frightfully.  And  you 
know  when  I  told  Estelle  yesterday  that  I 
intended  bringing  the  baby  back  this  morn 
ing,  she  disappeared  at  once,  never  said  a 
word  to  me  about  going,  just  dropped  out 
of  sight,  though  she  knew  I  was  so  busy 
getting  ready  to  go  away  that  I  had  hardly 
seen  the  baby  for  days.  I  had  quite  put 
myself  out  to  be  kind  to  her,  too." 

Miss  Maynard,  untying  Happy's  cap, 
paused  with  the  ribbons  in  her  ringers : 

"  Was  it  the  nurse  girl,"  she  asked, 
"  whose  name  was  Estelle  ?  " 

''  Yes,  so  absurd !  A  most  snubby-nosed, 
red-haired  little  thing!  But  the  baby  fan 
cied  her  quite  amazingly.  I  must  be  going. 
I  am  so  rushed."  She  fluttered  a  scented 
171 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

little  kiss  upon  Happy's  cheek.  "  Good- 
by,  you  nice  baby.  I  should  so  have  loved 
to  keep  him,  Miss  Maynard,  but  life  does 
make  such  sudden  demands  upon  one, 
doesn't  it?  I  hope  he  will  find  a  lovely 
home  soon.  I  am  sure  he  will.  I  have  had 
a  charming  time  with  him,  and  I  thank  you 
so  much." 

The  Kids'  Lady  was  visibly  preoccupied. 
She  opened  her  lips  to  speak,  then  thought 
better  of  it.  Mrs.  Addison  felt  that  her 
manner  was  markedly  peculiar. 

"  You  quite  understand,  don't  you,  how 
I  was  placed  about  the  baby  ?  " 

"  Oh,  certainly ;  yes,  of  course.  You 
said,  I  believe,  that  you  had  no  idea  where 
the  nurse  girl  had  gone?  and  she  had  red 
hair?" 

"  Yes,  she  was  most  unornamental. 
Where  she  is?  I  don't  know  in  the  least, 
but  then  it  doesn't  matter  now.  I  really 
must  be  going." 

She  glided  away,  and  Miss  Maynard, 
turning  from  the  door,  gazed  deep  into  the 
baby's  seraphic  eyes : 

172 


THE  PRODIGAL  DAUGHTER 

"  Happy,"  she  demanded,  "  where  is 
Martha  Mary?" 

Happy  leaned  away  over,  with  a  great 
expenditure  of  effort,  as  if  he  were  going 
to  look  for  his  lost  relative  upon  the  floor, 
but  instead  he  only  pulled  off  his  slipper 
and  flung  it  from  him  exultingly.  He  knew 
a  great  deal,  did  Happy ;  he  knew  almost  as 
much  as  the  Dinsmore  Park  squirrel,  but 
neither  of  them  were  ever  going  to  tell. 
Martha  Mary  had  the  telling  to  do  and  it 
was  not  easy.  She  put  it  off  as  long  as  pos 
sible. 

Supper  was  over  and  it  was  quite  dark 
when  the  Kids'  Lady  opened  the  door  upon 
the  broad  porch  and  walked  to  the  top  of  the 
steps,  where  she  stood  a  few  moments 
breathing  the  frosty  air,  and  looking  off  into 
the  blue  darkness,  prickling  with  stars  above 
the  glow  of  the  city's  lights. 

As  she  turned  to  go  in,  there  caught 
her  eye,  in  the  corner  of  one  of  the 
porch  benches,  a  darker  shadow.  Quickly 
she  went  closer,  stooped  down,  and  laid 
her  hand  upon  a  little  shoulder  that  shivered. 

173 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

Instantly     she     grasped     the     small     arm. 

"  Come  in  this  minute,  where  it 's  warm !  " 
she  commanded. 

Without  a  glance  downward  she  hustled 
the  child  through  the  hall  and  into  the  of 
fice,  then  backed  her  up  against  a  warm  radi 
ator. 

"  Martha  Mary,  where  did  you  stay  last 
night?" 

"  Id  the  bark,"  confessed  the  girl,  and  as 
she  spoke  she  caught  her  breath  and  put  a 
hand  to  her  breast. 

"  Is  there  a  pain  in  your  chest  ?  " 

Martha  Mary  nodded  in  shame,  and  the 
Kids'  Lady  set  her  lips. 

Fifteen  minutes  later  all  that  was  visible 
of  the  returned  sinner  was  a  sort  of  tepee 
of  blankets,  from  an  aperture  of  which 
peeped  out  a  countenance  so  perspiringly 
red  that  the  freckles  were  quite  obliterated. 
Martha  Mary's  eyes  were  full  of  tears  which 
were  amply  justified  by  the  double  strength 
of  the  ginger  tea  she  gulped  dutifully,  and 
her  feet  were  tingling  in  a  mustard  bath  of 
fully  equal  vigor. 

174 


THE  PRODIGAL  DAUGHTER 

If  there  had  been  anything  to  say,  there 
was  no  chance  to  say  it  until  Miss  Maynard 
was  tucking  Martha  Mary  into  a  heated  bed. 
Then,  as  some  pungent  oil  was  being  swiftly 
rubbed  on  her  breast,  the  child  lifted 
weighted  eyelids : 

"  I  did  'ud  wad  to  be  bad,"  she  articulated 
thickly. 

Suddenly,  the  Kids'  Lady  drew  up  the 
blankets  and  turned  away.  When  she  came 
back  she  brought  a  folded  flannel,  which  she 
laid,  all  hot  and  prickly,  clear  up  to  the 
moist  little  chin. 

"  Martha  Mary,"  she  said,  sternly,  "  if 
you  ever  do  such  awful  things  any  more  I 
shall  —  I  shall  soak  your  feet  again !  " 


175 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

CONTEMPT  OF  COURT 

A  COLD  on  your  lungs,  with  edgy  pos 
sibilities  of  pneumonia,  and  hot  and 
sticky  actualities  of  fever,  nasty  sweet  medi 
cine,  and  curious,  shifty  aches,  is  not  com 
monly  considered  in  the  light,  either  of  a 
solace  or  a  diversion.  Yet  to  the  Kids' 
Lady  and  Martha  Mary  the  illness  which 
kept  the  child  in  bed  for  a  week  brought 
with  it  no  small  sense  of  relief.  It  was 
greatly  easier  for  Miss  Maynard  to  have 
only  Martha  Mary's  bodily  needs  to  con 
sider,  and  to  be  able  for  a  time  to  put  aside 
any  thought  of  the  more  perplexing  prob 
lems  which  were  bound  to  loom  up  again  in 
the  future.  As  for  the  little  girl,  she  rested 
very  contentedly  in  the  gentle  tendance 
which  sickness  brought  her.  She  felt  for 
given,  and  that  was  a  sensation  which  it  was 
just  as  well  to  enjoy,  even  though  she  was 
176 


CONTEMPT  OF  COURT 

by  no  means  clear  in  her  mind  that  she  had 
actually  done  wrong. 

Miss  Maynard  was  almost  equally  doubt 
ful  on  that  point,  but  the  fact  remained  that 
Martha  Mary  had  run  away,  and  the  main 
tenance  of  discipline  required  that  she  must 
be  in  some  manner  dealt  with.  As  for  the 
precise  method  by  which  justice  should  be 
meted  out,  the  Kids'  Lady  could  not  seem 
to  come  to  any  decision.  She  concluded 
finally  to  leave  the  matter  to  Judge  Sunder- 
land,  since  he  made  a  profession  of  deci 
sions.  Had  she  realized  with  what  terror 
this  arrangement  struck  Martha  Mary,  she 
would,  perhaps,  have  done  otherwise. 

Going  to  court,  on  the  former  occasion, 
had  been  to  the  little  girl  merely  a  pleasantly 
titillating  and  rather  agreeably  important  ex 
cursion  into  the  unknown.  But  this  time 
she  would  be  one  of  the  offenders,  accused 
of  having  done  wrong,  of  having  broken 
rules.  She  had  liked  the  Judge  before. 
She  remembered  how  there  had  been  in  his 
eyes,  when  he  regarded  her,  a  sort  of  you  're- 
a-funny-little-girl  kind  of  look.  But  she 
177 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

certainly  was  not  a  funny  little  girl  any 
more.  Her  desperate  adventure  had  ap 
peared  to  her  most  solemn  and  startling  at 
the  time  she  embarked  upon  it;  since  then 
she  had  been  given  time  to  grow  used  to  the 
idea,  but  now,  with  her  crime  come  up  for 
judgment,  she  magnified  her  offense  with 
all  the  unreasoning  intensity  of  childhood. 
Yet  Miss  Maynard  had  said,  so  gently : 

"  I  think  on  Monday  morning  I  shall  take 
you  with  me  to  see  Judge  Sunderland.  I 
believe,  Martha  Mary,  we  had  better  ask 
him  what  arrangements  we  can  make  next." 

And  that  quiet  speech  had  cast  one  little 
girl  into  outer  darkness.  It  had  been  a  Sat 
urday  evening  when  the  Kids'  Lady  spoke 
those  words,  and  though  Martha  Mary 
slept  that  night,  it  was  to  start  awake  over 
and  over  in  the  clutch  of  strangling  fears. 

What  a  length  of  time  elapsed  before 
Monday!  During  the  dragging  afternoon 
of  Sunday,  it  popped  into  Martha  Mary's 
head  queerly  that  it  was  a  pity  the  Sabbath 
was  not  a  working  day.  It  seemed  to  her 
that  every  bit  of  work  there  ever  was  in  all 
178 


CONTEMPT  OF  COURT 

the  world  could  have  been  put  tidily  out  of 
the  way  in  those  interminably  drawn-out 
hours  between  breakfast  and  supper. 

But  she  said  nothing.  More  and  more  was 
she  learning  to  say  nothing ;  and  the  less  she 
said,  and  the  more  she  thought,  the  farther 
away  slipped  her  confidence  in  anything 
ahead  to  be  desired.  Worn  out  with  her 
own  half  feverish  imaginings,  she  had 
reached  a  state  of  almost  comfortable  apathy 
by  the  time  she  was  filing,  with  a  small  com 
pany  of  juveniles,  into  the  room  where 
Judge  Sunderland  held  court. 

The  out-door  air  had  been  sharp  with  the 
early  morning  chill  of  late  October,  and  the 
steam-heated  room,  long  and  narrow  as  a 
Pullman  car,  was  palpitatingly  hot.  By  the 
time  the  stumbling  flock  of  the  Kids'  Lady 
had  been  herded  into  chairs  adjacent  to  the 
Judge's  long  table,  Martha  Mary  began  to 
feel  sleepy.  Gradually  the  further  end  of 
the  room,  outside  the  rail,  filled  up  with  spec 
tators,  parents  and  complainants.  A  man 
with  a  metal  star  attached  to  his  vest  and 
a-glisten  under  his  open  coat,  came  from  an 
179 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

inner  room,  carrying  an  enormous,  calf- 
bound  book,  which  he  opened  upon  the  table 
with  a  leathery  whack.  Three  ladies 
stepped  questioningly  in  from  the  tiled  hall 
way,  looked  about,  spoke  together  in  an  un 
dertone  ;  then  the  man  with  the  star  opened 
the  spindled  gate  in  the  railing,  and  gave 
them  chairs  at  the  corner  of  the  table,  with 
a  way  as  though  he  wanted  to  be  very  polite. 

One  of  the  ladies  had  her  spectacles  fas 
tened  to  a  gold  stick,  and  when  she  wanted 
to  see  anything  she  had  to  hold  them  up  in 
a  tightly  gloved  hand  and  tip  her  head  side- 
wise.  It  looked  a  great  deal  of  bother,  but 
Martha  Mary  felt  sure  she  did  it  because 
she  wanted  to. 

Over  against  the  railing  leaned  a  girl  who 
attracted  the  lady's  notice.  The  girl's 
shoulders  hung  with  a  sullenly  childish 
droop,  but  she  was  older  than  a  child,  yet 
not  old  enough,  Martha  Mary  decided,  to 
be  a  sure  enough  young  lady.  Certainly 
her  white  furs  were  very  dirty,  but  as  for 
the  cavernous  hat,  with  its  hanging  yellow 
plume,  the  little  girl  thought  that  wonder- 
180 


CONTEMPT  OF  COURT 

fully  beautiful.  Perhaps  the  tightly  gloved 
lady  thought  so,  too,  and  maybe  that  is  why 
she  kept  her  spectacles  up  in  front  of  her 
eyes.  The  girl  hunched  up  a  furry  shoul 
der,  and  half  turned  away.  Martha  Mary 
wondered  what  she  had  cried  about  so  long 
that  her  face  was  red  and  swollen  all  over. 
Quite  suddenly  Martha  Mary  wanted  to 
stick  out  her  tongue  at  that  lady  with  the 
spectacles  on  a  gold  stick;  and  then,  almost 
as  suddenly,  the  child  felt  a  prickle  under  her 
hair  and  a  tingle  down  her  back;  the  Judge 
was  coming. 

He  swung  into  the  room  as  if  he  had  got 
under  motion  on  a  long  walk  and  had  not 
yet  slowed  down.  The  Judge  had  specta 
cles,  too,  and  was  scouring  them  rigorously 
with  a  clean  handkerchief.  Passing  the 
windows  he  held  the  lenses  to  the  light,  then 
took  hold  of  the  bows  and  ducked  his  head 
between  them,  like  a  horse  plunging  his  head 
into  a  feed-bag.  While  seating  himself  in 
his  big  chair,  he  was  hooking  the  gold  wires 
over  his  ears,  and  with  a  forceful  jerk  he 
pulled  himself  and  the  chair  both  forward, 
181 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

rested  his  arms  on  the  end  of  the  table,  said 
"  Good  morning  "  all  around  as  if  he  did  not 
know  anybody,  and  then  the  business  of 
court  began. 

Case  after  case  was  heard.  Each  time 
Martha  Mary  was  expecting  her  name  to  be 
called,  and  as  each  time  she  was  disap 
pointed,  her  attention  presently  wandered. 
Beyond  the  row  of  long  windows,  she  could 
see,  spread  far  below,  the  jagged  jumble  of 
walls  and  roofs  and  chimneys.  Netted  with 
wires  and  feathered  with  half  bare  trees,  the 
city  seemed  to  reach  on  and  out,  quite  to  the 
place  where  the  sky  bent  down.  The  whole 
tangle  of  colors  and  shapes  was  harmonized 
and  hovered  over  by  a  haze  of  pinky  brown, 
that  tender  russet  transformation  which  the 
sunlight  of  a  frosty  autumn  morning  knows 
how  to  weave  out  of  befouling  smoke,  acrid 
dust  and  all  the  noisome  exhalations  of  a 
crowding,  moiling  humanity. 

From  all  this  Martha  Mary  derived  two 

sensations :  it  was  pretty  and  she  did  not  like 

it.     Pretty,   because  it  lay  like  a  sun-gilt 

picture,  but  uncomfortable,  because  it  made 

182 


CONTEMPT  OF  COURT 

her  feel  so  little.  Before  that  immensity 
Martha  Mary's  soul  shriveled.  She  was 
homesick  for  any  kind  of  place  where  you 
could  be  walled  about,  shut  in,  and  where 
you  did  not  have  to  look  away  off  and  see 
how  terrifyingly  big  was  the  world. 

Half  subdued  laughter  brought  her  back 
to  the  faces  circling  the  long  table,  and  now 
all  were  turned  toward  a  diminutive  figure 
in  a  chair  next  His  Honor.  The  culprit 
was  a  very  little  boy  of  five,  dimply  and  rose- 
lipped,  with  brown  eyes  raised  to  the  Judge 
in  the  bewilderment  of  an  aggrieved  cherub. 
His  mother,  beside  him,  vacillated  between 
outraged  dignity  and  vexed  amusement. 
The  complainant,  a  bristle-faced  rag-picker, 
maintained  diffusely  and  with  righteous  heat 
that  rubber  tubing  of  value  had  been  ab 
stracted  from  his  cart  by  the  arraigned  in 
fant.  He  glared  angrily  when  the  levity 
rose. 

Bending  forward,  the  Judge  brought  his 
smiling  eyes  nearer  the  level  of  the  little  boy. 

"  And  how  long,"  he  questioned  gravely, 
"  have  you  been  in  the  junk  business?  " 
183 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

The  child  looked  at  his  mother,  who 
bridled  and  smiled  at  the  Judge.  The  mirth 
bubbled  up  once  more,  and  Martha  Mary 
turned  away.  They  made  her  tired. 

But  later,  even  she  felt  amused  at  the  half 
coherent  vociferations  of  a  truck  peddler. 
This  tousled  and  bearded  fellow  bore,  as 
testimony  to  his  injuries,  a  partially  healed 
cut  on  the  back  of  his  head.  A  rock  hurled 
after  him,  he  protested,  had  done  that,  and 
he  darted  vengeful  glances  at  the  two  impish- 
looking  youngsters  whom  he  held  responsi 
ble. 

"  Yes,  zur,  Judge,  zur,"  he  declared  with 
much  waving  of  arms,  "  dey  says  always 
oudt  loud,  '  Sheeny !  Sheeny ! '  an'  dey  push 
me  de  stone  from  behindt !  " 

As  the  peddler  sat  down,  Martha  Mary 
lost  interest  again,  and  she  jumped  in  her 
chair  when  her  name  was  now  called. 
Moving  to  a  seat  nearer  the  Judge,  put  her 
beside  the  Kids'  Lady,  and  it  helped  a  great 
deal  when  the  Kids'  Lady  gave  her  a 
smile. 

Apparently  some  one  must  have  told  the 
184 


CONTEMPT  OF  COURT 

Judge  all  about  what  she  had  done ;  at  least, 
he  asked  no  questions.  A  moment  he  looked 
at  her,  and  then  he  said,  slowly: 

"  I  was  disappointed  in  you,  Martha 
Mary." 

This  statement,  appearing  to  require  no 
answer,  the  little  girl  did  not  make  any.  In 
miserable  silence  she  sat  waiting  for  the 
Judge  to  continue;  but  finally,  when  the 
waiting  became  intolerable,  she  choked, 
swallowed  hard  and  said : 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  I  realize,  perfectly,  the  temptation  you 
had  to  follow  the  baby,"  His  Honor  contin 
ued,  "  but  I  think  you  should  have  trusted 
to  Miss  Maynard  to  know  what  was  best. 
Don't  you  think  you  should  have  asked  Miss 
Maynard  whether  you  might  apply  for  that 
position  as  nurse  to  the  baby?  " 

"  She  would  n't  of  let  me,"  stated  Martha 
Mary,  simply. 

The  Judge  liked  Martha  Mary;  his  voice 
was  still  kind. 

"  But  if  Mrs.  Addison  understood  how 
well  you  could  take  care  of  him;  if  it  had 

185 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

been  explained  to  her  that  you  were  the 
baby's  sister  —  " 

"  Then  she  would  n't  of  let  me." 

His  Honor  cleared  his  throat. 

"  However  that  may  be,"  he  went  on, 
"  you  will  certainly  have  to  learn  to  depend 
upon  the  judgment  of  people  who  are  much 
older  than  you,  upon  the  judgment  of  people 
who  are  trying  to  arrange  matters  as 
seems  to  them  wisest.  Surely  you  must 
know,  Martha  Mary,  that  we  will  not  see 
any  of  your  little  family  placed,  except  with 
people  who  will  be  good  to  you." 

The  little  girl  had  been  sitting  stiffly  upon 
the  edge  of  her  chair ;  now  she  leaned  back 
with  a  sigh,  and  when  she  spoke  she  looked 
straight  at  the  Judge,  while  her  voice,  small 
and  old,  seemed  to  come  from  dry  years  of 
disillusion. 

"  I'm  so  tired  of  being  arranged ! "  she 
said.  "  I  don't  want  to  be  done  good  to." 

The  smile  in  the  room  came  dangerously 

near  to  being  overheard.     The  lady  with 

the  gold  stick  lifted  it  and  regarded   the 

Judge  through  her  glasses  with  evidence  of 

186 


CONTEMPT  OF  COURT 

highly  pleasurable  interest.  He  may  not 
have  seen  her;  at  least,  he  looked  only  at 
the  Kids'  Lady. 

"  There  's  a  great  deal  on  the  docket  this 
morning,  Miss  Maynard,"  he  said,  in  his 
most  judicial  voice.  "  Since  I  want  to  have 
a  talk  with  Martha  Mary,  we  shall  take  up 
this  case  again  after  luncheon.  What 's 
next?"  he  concluded,  turning  to  the  proba 
tion  officer. 

If  Martha  Mary  had  been  guilty  of  con 
tempt  of  court,  she  remained  in  fortunate 
ignorance  of  her  misdemeanor.  So,  when 
she  faced  the  Judge  again  some  three  hours 
later,  she  was  much  less  troubled  than  be 
fore.  This  time  they  two  and  the  Kids' 
Lady  had  a  small  side-room  to  themselves; 
and  for  this  absence  of  on-lookers,  espe 
cially  for  deliverance  from  the  lady  with 
the  gold  stick,  Martha  Mary  was  grate 
ful. 

His  Honor  sat  in  a  deep  low  chair,  and, 

with  elbows  on  his  knees,  he  contemplatively 

regarded  the  little  girl.     Finally  he  reached 

forward,  and  taking  one  of  the  small,  un- 

187 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

resisting  hands,  he  laid  it  in  his  big  palm 
and  looked  down  at  it,  saying  at  last : 

"  Little  girl,  are  n't  you  ever  going  to  be 
willing  that  we  should  help  you  to  take  care 
of  your  family?  If  it  happens  that  we  find 
a  good  home  for  the  baby,  are  n't  you  going 
to  be  unselfish  enough  to  say  that  he  may 
have  it?" 

Martha  Mary  waited  a  minute. 

"  You  would  n't  if  it  was  your  baby," 
she  said. 

Dropping  the  little  hand,  the  Judge  slid 
down  in  his  chair,  and,  shoving  his  fists  deep 
into  his  pockets,  pondered  with  knotted  eye 
brows  and  protruding  under  lip.  He  was 
past  middle  age,  but  he  had  never  lost  the 
vision  which  stays  long  in  the  minds  of  all 
good  men.  Sometimes  it  is  difficult  to  re 
member  that  you  are  a  judge. 

The  Kids'  Lady  broke  the  silence. 

"  I  have  a  plan,  Judge  Sunderland,  which 
would  please  me ;  but  I  have  hesitated  about 
suggesting  it,  perhaps  because  it  does  please 
me.  You  know  Martha  Mary  is  extremely 
industrious  and  competent,  and  she  has  a 
1 88 


CONTEMPT  OF  COURT 

remarkable  way  with  children.  Out  at  the 
Home  we  need  more  help  in  the  nursery, 
and  what  she  could  do  might  make  it  pos 
sible  for  us  to  get  along  without  the  as 
sistant  nurse  I  have  felt  we  must  have." 

The  Judge  looked  up,  his  frown  melting 
away,  while  Miss  Maynard  softly  contin 
ued: 

"  For  the  next  few  months  —  for  the 
winter,  say  —  if  she  would  work  very  hard 
before  and  after  school,  could  n't  her  serv 
ices  be  considered  as  an  equivalent  for  the 
board  of  this  little  family  at  the  Home? 
Now  that  we  're  in  the  new  building,  and  no 
longer  crowded,  it  seems  that  we  might  well 
enough  accommodate  them — •" 

Miss  Maynard  paused,  then  quietly 
added : 

"  I  should  like  very  much  to  have  the 
help  of  Martha  Mary." 

"Well,  why  not,  why  not?"  said  the 
Judge  brusquely.  "  If  you  want  it  that 
way,  I  see  no  reason  why  any  one  should 
complain."  He  turned  to  the  little  girl  with 
a  teasing  gleam  in  his  eye.  "  Since  you 
189 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

have  such  decided  opinions,  young  woman 
- —  since  you  have  such  decided  opinions, 
what  do  you  think  about  it  ?  " 

Martha  Mary  shyly  smiled  at  him. 

"I  think  it's  a  good — < arrangement," 
she  answered. 

Then,  under  the  table's  edge,  her  hand 
slipped  along  and  slid  into  the  warm  hand 
of  the  Kids'  Lady. 


190 


CHAPTER  XIX 

A  REJECTED  PROPOSAL 

ALL  the  windows  of  the  nursery  were 
wide  open  to  the  warm  western  sun 
of  an  April  afternoon.  Small  breezes  came 
whiffing  in,  fluttering  aside  the  white  cur 
tains,  and  roving  about  the  room,  laden  with 
all  sorts  of  tales  of  springing  grass  and 
leafing  trees.  One  of  these  breezes  had  dis 
covered  a  budding  lilac  bush  in  the  back 
yard,  and  had  flown  to  the  nursery  on  pur 
pose  to  tell  of  it.  Without  a  doubt  the  chil 
dren  got  the  message,  for  they  laughed  even 
more  gaily,  as  they  frolicked  upon  the  floor, 
while  the  babies  in  their  white  cribs  batted 
about  with  active  uncertain  fists  and  uttered 
jjqueaks  of  glee. 

Loudest  of  all  laughed  Elvira,  who  could 
exceed  even  the  volatile  Sunshine  in  merri 
ment.     For,  in  the  veins  of  Elvira,  rioted  a 
potent  strain  of  African  blood,  and  she  was 
191 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

of  a  lovely,  smooth  yellowish  color,  like  the 
back  of  a  lady's  tan  kid  glove. 

Just  now  Sunshine  distinguished  herself 
by  a  perfect  shriek  of  joy,  which  brought 
all  the  others  crowding  to  the  window  with 
Martha  Mary  looking  over  their  heads. 

"  Wed  boid !  Wed  boid !  "  was  the  way 
Sunshine  announced  the  marvel,  though  the 
shy  visitor,  perched  upon  the  farthest  end 
of  a  roof  spout,  was  of  the  hue  of  sapphire. 
Such  an  outburst  of  acclaim  was  too  much 
even  for  a  city  blue  bird.  He  went  dipping 
away  upon  skyey  wings,  while  Martha  Mary 
turned  to  other  amusements  for  her  flock. 

To  watch  her  with  the  children,  sitting 
upon  the  floor  to  be  near  as  many  as  pos 
sible,  was  almost  to  forget  that  they  were  in 
any  way  in  misfortune.  Such  a  gay  play 
fellow  she  was  for  games  and  laughter ;  yet 
such  a  tender  small  mother  for  woes  and 
tears.  In  these  few  months  of  security 
Martha  Mary  had  wonderfully  gentled,  both 
without  and  within.  A  quaint  surpliced 
frock  of  dull  blue,  gave  to  her  childish  an 
gles  a  promise  of  what  might  some  day  be 
192 


A  REJECTED  PROPOSAL 

a  lithe  grace.  Her  hair  was  darkening,  and 
the  coppery  braids  were  fastened  around 
her  head  with  soft  ribbons.  The  freckles 
still  remained,  uncompromisingly  freckly, 
but  the  skin  between  the  brown  dots  and  on 
forehead,  neck  and  chin,  was  clear  with  the 
whiteness  of  pearl.  Now  and  then,  regard 
ing  the  child,  the  Kids'  Lady  felt  an  odd 
sense  of  triumph.  Perhaps,  after  all, 
Martha  Mary  was  not  going  to  be  entirely 
unattractive  to  look  at.  Certainly  it  was  a 
face  both  sweet  and  merry  that  turned  now 
toward  the  opening  door. 

"  Judge  Sunderland  is  downstairs,"  an 
nounced  the  nurse  who  entered.  "  He 
wants  to  see  you." 

"  Yes  'm,"  Martha  Mary's  tone  was  un 
troubled;  apprehension  had  come  to  be  a 
thing  of  the  past.  Besides,  the  Judge's 
visits  to  the  Home  were  not  infrequent,  and 
they  never  portended  anything  but  good. 
She  ran  quickly  down  the  steps,  in  danger 
of  violating  with  her  stout  shoes  a  cherished, 
though  not  very  efficacious,  regulation 
against  unnecessary  noise.  When  she 

193 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

brought  up  in  the  doorway  of  the  office  she 
was  still  smiling. 

"Come  in!  Come  in!"  called  out  His 
Honor  from  where  he  sat  talking  with  Miss 
Maynard.  He  extended  a  broad  palm  and 
when  he  had  hold  of  Martha  Mary's  hand, 
he  drew  her  over  beside  his  chair. 

"  Now,  then,  how  is  that  nursery ful  up 
stairs?  Some  pretty  mean  children  up 
there,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,  sir,  no !  "  Martha  Mary's  face 
was  gravely  intense.  "  They  're  always 
good  and  they're  so  darling,  darling  — !" 

"  Sh-h-h !  "  the  Judge  threatened  her  with 
lifted  hands.  "  Don't  try  to  describe  those 
babies.  I  wanted  to  talk  some  myself." 

The  little  girl  flushed  rosily.  The  Judge 
always  bothered  her  this  funny  way,  and 
laughed  with  his  eyes.  Every  time  he  did 
it  her  face  grew  warm,  but  somehow  her 
heart  grew  warm  at  the  same  time,  and  she 
felt  both  good  and  happy.  Without  the 
smallest  reservation  now,  Martha  Mary 
liked  the  Judge;  she  was  equally  sure  that 
the  Judge  liked  her. 

194 


A  REJECTED  PROPOSAL 

Miss  Maynard  being  called  away,  His 
Honor  put  the  little  girl  into  the  vacated 
chair  opposite  him. 

"  I  '11  tell  you  how  it  is,  Martha  Mary," 
he  began  confidentially.  "  You  see,  Miss 
Maynard  and  I  have  no  right  to  go  on  in 
definitely,  keeping  you  and  your  little  family 
here  without  making  any  effort  to  find  homes 
for  you.  This  is  merely  a  Detention  Home, 
and  must  be  kept  for  that  purpose.  On  the 
other  hand  there  is  a  mighty  slim  chance  of 
finding  a  place  where  you  children  could 
all  be  together.  It  takes  some  courage  to 
adopt  a  family  of  five,  though  it  has  been 
done.  And,  anyhow,  I  take  it  you  would 
rather  hoe  your  own  row  if  you  could, 
would  n't  you  ?  " 

"Oh,  I'd  heaps  liefer,"  Martha  Mary 
sighed. 

"  Yes,  of  course,  of  course.  You  are  that 
kind  of  a  girl.  How  old  are  you,  by  the 
way?" 

"  I  '11  be  fourteen  come  next  August." 
She  stated  it  with  demure  dignity. 

"  That  is  getting  along  in  years,   is  n't 

195 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

it  ?  "     The  Judge  was  exceedingly  serious. 

"  Yes,  sir,  it  is,"  agreed  Martha  Mary. 

"  You  know,  after  you  are  fourteen,"  the 
Judge  continued,  wiping  his  glasses,  "  you 
are  not  obliged  to  go  to  school,  but  I 
should  n't  like  to  think  of  your  terminating 
your  education  at  this  point.  However,  we 
need  n't  worry  about  that  now.  Vacation 
begins  before  long,  and  I  have  thought  seri 
ously  of  setting  you  up  in  housekeeping." 

Housekeeping!  The  word  encompassed 
visions  for  Martha  Mary.  Her  eyes  grew 
bluer  and  shining. 

The  Judge  was  also  a  trifle  irradiant; 
evidently  his  project  pleased  him. 

"  Of  course  you  ought  to  have  some  kind 
of  a  business.  Something  you  could  do  and 
still  not  be  away  from  the  children.  I  Ve 
been  thinking  of  a  flower  shop  with  a  few 
rooms  at  the  back." 

His  Honor  brought  forth  this  idea  rather 
triumphantly,  but  the  little  girl  made  no 
response. 

"  Later  in  the  season  we  might  have  to 
put  in  fruit,  too.  I  'm  sure  you  'd  make  a 
196 


A  REJECTED  PROPOSAL 

capital  business  woman."  Then,  as  the 
child  still  did  not  speak,  "  Well,  what  do 
you  think  about  it  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  sir."  Martha  Mary's 
tone  was  not  sanguine;  it  was  barely  inter 
ested. 

His  Honor  felt  distinctly  vexed.  He 
would  not  have  allowed  any  one  to  intimate 
that  this  little  girl  was  either  wilful  or  stub 
born,  and  he  knew  she  was  not  ungrateful ; 
but  he  did  think  it  would  be  quite  as  well  if 
her  mind  were  a  bit  more  open  to  sug 
gestion. 

"  So  you  don't  like  the  idea?"  he  said, 
and  in  his  tone  was  a  touch  of  asperity. 

"  Oh,  yes,  sir !  Yes,  I  do,"  Martha  Mary 
hastened  to  make  her  peace.  "  It  would  be 
awful  pretty  to  sell  flowers,  but  I  did  n't 
know  —  you  see,  Miss  Maynard  told  me 
maybe  there  'd  be  something  I  could  do. 
I  'd  talked  about  it  to  Jakey's  widow." 

"  '  Jakey's  widow?  '  "  growled  the  Judge. 

"  Yes,  sir.  The  widow  lady  where  Jakey 
lives  at.  Mis'  Phelps,  her  name  is.  Miss 
Maynard  lets  us  go  see  her  an'  Jakey  some- 
197 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

times.  She  ain't  a  rich  lady  at  all ;  she  's  a 
real  nice  lady.  She  don't  live  so  far  from 
where  we  used  to  be." 

"  Well  ?  "     The  Judge  was  waiting. 

"  Yes,  sir.  An'  so  we  said,  what  could 
I  do?  We  thought  about  ice  cream." 
This  last  very  timidly. 

"  Ice  cream !  "  The  Judge's  tone  forever 
abolished  that  commodity.  "  Why,  child, 
that 's  an  expensive  outfit !  It  takes  capital. 
It 's  out  of  the  question." 

Martha  Mary  looked  dismayed,  but  she 
went  on: 

"  Oh,  we  did  n't  mean  like  that,  not  like 
that  at  all.  We  meant  ice  cream  for  poor 
folks.  You  see,  flowers  is  something  rich 
folks  likes  to  buy,  but  ice  cream  is  something 
poor  folks  has  got  to  have." 

"Well,  I  don't  know  about  that,"  His 
Honor  demurred. 

"  But  they  do"  Martha  Mary's  eyes 
grew  big  and  earnest.  "  When  it  gets  so 
awful  hot  down  there  at  night,  an'  all  the 
kids  is  hot  an'  cross,  an'  their  mothers  is  all 
tired  out,  seems  like  they  just  got  to  have 
198 


A  REJECTED  PROPOSAL 

it.  They  buys  an'  buys  it,  off  the  peddlers, 
an'  it  makes  'em  sick,  cause  it 's  made  dirty. 
Miss  Maynard  says  it  is.  She  says  it  kills 
the  little  kids,  just  kills  'em,  when  good  ice 
cream  would  n't  hurt  a  mite !  " 

"  Hm-m-m-m,"  her  friend  regarded  her 
ruminatingly.  "  I  don't  know  but  maybe 
you  might,  now.  Could  you  make  it, 
though?" 

"  Jakey's  widow  would  help  me.  She 
said  she  would." 

"  But  I  don't  see  how  you  'd  get  the  stuff 
around.  A  push  cart  is  heavy." 

Evidently  Martha  Mary  had  an  idea  on 
this  subject,  also,  but  the  thought  of  it 
seemed  to  embarrass  her.  She  blushed  and 
looked  down.  His  Honor  pressed  the  ques 
tion: 

"  Had  you  thought  about  that?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  admitted  Martha  Mary. 
Then,  "Don't  laugh,"  she  begged.  "We 
did  have  a  dog.  We  gave  him  to  the 
butcher's  boy  to  keep  for  us.  Jakey  says  the 
butcher's  boy  has  learnt  him  to  be  hitched 
up.  He  don't  drive  just  like  he  ought  to. 
199 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

If  you  're  behind  him  he  turns  right  around 
and  comes  backwards,  but  Sunshine  and 
George  Johnny  could  lead  him." 

"  You  mean  you  thought  of  taking  him 
into  the  ice  cream  business  ?  "  questioned 
the  Judge  with  earnest  demeanor. 

"  Yes,  sir.  To  pull  a  little  wagon.  I 
thought  he  could.  Could  n't  he  ?  He 's 
real  big,  now,  an'  he  's  a  awful  nice  dog." 

Then  the  Judge  did  laugh,  shamelessly, 
with  a  laugh  that  was  full-lunged  and  of 
embarrassing  duration.  Martha  Mary 
laughed,  too,  but  hers  was  rather  an  hysteri 
cal  giggle. 

When  His  Honor  straightened  up  again, 
he  said  with  emphasis: 

"  Martha  Mary,  you  're  a  born  adver 
tiser!" 

Precisely  what  he  meant  was  not  quite 
clear  to  the  little  girl,  but  she  knew  he  was 
not  displeased,  for  during  the  rest  of  his  call 
he  chuckled  deeply  at  intervals. 

When  he  left,  he  shook  hands  with  her 
as  if  she  were  grown  up. 

"  I  am  going  to  back  your  enterprise, 
200 


A  REJECTED  PROPOSAL 

Martha  Mary,"  he  declared,  "  but  the  most 
important  detail  I  shall  leave  you  to  attend 
to.  Be  sure  that  you  definitely  engage  that 
dog." 


2O I 


CHAPTER  XX 

BLITHELY  ON  HER  BUSINESS 

JUNE  had  come.  Not  a  country  June, 
crimson-sweet  with  roses  and  strawber 
ries  and  clover,  while  tree  shadows  turn 
into  green  caves  of  coolness,  and  gold- 
dusted  bees  go  sing-songing  all  day  long 
of  hives  and  honey  and  the  hearts  of 
flowers;  nor  June  in  the  fine,  broad,  city 
streets  of  pompous  residences,  with  whisk 
ing  mists  of  water  keeping  the  lawns 
washed  fresh  around  blooming  urns,  glow 
ing  borders  and  the  shining  leaves  of  vines, 
but  June  in  the  crowded  districts  of  the 
town,  where  the  sun  scorches  a  fierce  men 
ace  almost  as  soon  as  working  people  are 
wearily  awake,  and  only  goes  glowering 
down  behind  the  buildings  at  night,  after  he 
has  burned  into  walls  and  pavements  heat 
enough  to  keep  the  narrow  spaces  palpitant 
until  he  comes  blazing  out  again.  It  was 
202 


BLITHELY  ON  HER  BUSINESS 

June  of  exhausted  bodies,  of  edged  tempers, 
of  ailing  little  children. 

On  one  of  the  most  humidly  hot  of  these 
long,  bright  evenings,  came  walking  down 
a  short  street  which  turned  into  the  poorer 
quarters  of  the  city,  a  big,  broad-shouldered, 
square-faced  man.  Beside  him  was  a  free- 
stepping,  graceful  woman,  who  indicated 
various  points  in  passing,  and  smiled  as  she 
talked.  The  street  possessed  many  quaint 
features,  having  once  been  the  fashionable 
residence  district  when  the  town  was  new. 
It  still  kept  some  traces  of  its  former  state, 
in  the  gracious  elms  that  bordered  it 
and  in  the  few  detached  houses  which  had 
not  yet  given  way  to  more  space-econo 
mizing  structures. 

One  of  these,  a  brick  building  topped  with 
a  streaked  and  rusty  mansard  roof,  like  a 
battered  crown,  appeared  to  be  renewing  its 
youth  in  a  freshly  green  lawn  spread  on 
either  hand  of  its  paintless  steps.  Along 
the  side  fence  twine  was  strung,  up  and 
«  down  in  taut  zigzags,  for  the  encourage 
ment  of  a  row  of  valiant  young  nasturtiums 
203 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

which  were  making  bold  promises  with 
their  bluish  green  discs  of  leaves.  The 
long  front  windows  were  open  and  were 
genteelly  guarded  within  by  white  lace  cur 
tains,  pushed  back  to  admit  the  air,  but  still 
hanging  stiffly  in  the  pride  of  fresh  starch. 

"  From  the  appearance  of  her  home,  I 
infer  that  '  Jakey's  widow '  makes  the  best 
of  what  she  has,"  observed  Judge  Sunder- 
land.  As  he  spoke  he  slipped  a  hand  under 
Miss  Maynard's  elbow  to  help  her  up  the 
porch  steps.  Not  that  she  needed  any  as 
sistance,  but  because  he  had  done  that  for 
his  mother  so  many  years  that  now  he  could 
never  get  over  the  habit. 

"  She  does  more  than  that,"  replied  the 
Kids'  Lady.  "  She  makes  the  best  of  what 
she  has  n't." 

A  quick  tread  answered  His  Honor's 
knock  upon  the  open  door,  and  a  cheerful 
voice  came  down  the  hallway,  even  before 
its  owner  was  fully  visible. 

"  Now  if  that  ain't  a  shame !  And  all  the 
children  gone  this  hour  ago !  "  Comment 
ing  in  this  fashion  upon  her  guests'  arrival, 
204 


BLITHELY  ON  HER  BUSINESS 

the  owner  of  the  voice  came  forward  to 
ward  the  light ;  a  neat,  round  figure  in  gray 
calico.  When  she  reached  the  door  she  be 
gan  her  greeting  more  conventionally : 

"  Good  evening,  Miss  Maynard,  and 
Judge  Sunderland,  sir.  It 's  a  downright 
shame  the  children  ain't  any  of  'em  here. 
They  get  off  early,  now.  The  route  is  get 
ting  so  busy  they  have  to.  Deary  me!  I 
don't  know  as  I  can  say  there  ain't  any  of 
'em  here." 

This  last  was  evoked  by  the  appearance 
at  her  side  of  a  small,  pink  presence,  who 
had  evidently  come  patting  close  behind  her 
skirts  upon  soft,  bare  feet.  Happy,  in  pink 
gingham  rompers,  was  a  study  in  wild  rose 
tints. 

"  Ain't  he  growing  fine?  "  she  questioned, 
as  she  lifted  him  proudly  against  the  plump 
curve  of  her  hip.  "  Will  you  come  in,  or 
would  sitting  out  here  suit  you?  I  '11  fetch 
some  chairs." 

"  Oh,  here,  by  all  means !  "  As  she  spoke 
Miss  Maynard  held  out  her  arms  for  the 
baby.  And  when  the  chairs  had  been 
205 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

brought,  carried  by  Judge  Sunderland,  after 
all,  the  Kids'  Lady  was  so  pleasantly  oc 
cupied  that  the  Judge  and  "  Jakey's  widow  " 
had  most  of  the  conversation  to  themselves, 
unless  the  baby's  confident  but  unintelligible 
essays  at  language,  and  Miss  Maynard's 
soft  laughter  thereat  could  be  dignified  by 
such  a  term. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  Judge,"  Mrs.  Phelps  was 
saying,  "  the  business  is  doing  fine  —  beyond 
anything  I  expected.  Why,  some  nights 
now  they  can't  hardly  get  any  of  the  ice 
cream  down  to  the  poor  folks,  where  Mar 
tha  Mary  wants  to  sell  it.  We  've  bought 
a  third  freezer,  too,  but  since  people  on  the 
streets  near  here  have  found  out  it 's  real 
homemade,  with  cream  in  it,  they  fairly  buy 
the  wagon  out  before  it  gets  started." 

"  Great !  Great  doings !  "  There  was 
hearty  pleasure  in  His  Honor's  voice. 
"  One  of  these  days  we  shall  be  having  to 
increase  our  transportation  facilities." 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  should  n't  wonder.  They 
used  to  take  a  different  way  every  trip,  but 
now  they  stick  to  the  same  street  till  they 
206 


BLITHELY  ON  HER  BUSINESS 

get  below  Twelfth.  That  makes  it  go  far 
ther." 

As  she  finished  speaking,  Mrs.  Phelps 
turned  in  the  direction  of  the  baby.  With 
the  evening  impulse  of  frolic,  Happy  was 
growing  hilarious.  "  I  ought  to  put  that 
young  man  to  bed,  Miss  Maynard,"  she 
said.  "  It 's  past  his  time  now,  and  he  '11 
be  getting  cross.  I  've  got  him  pretty  well 
trained,  and  I  don't  like  to  have  it  to  do 
over  again;  so  if  you  '11  just  excuse  me — " 
She  rose  to  take  the  child,  and  then  added : 

"  Would  n't  you  like  to  see  the  children's 
rooms?  They  think  they  are  fixed  up  fine. 
They  have  the  three  this  side  of  the  hall." 

Despite  the  pressure  of  business  cares,  the 
two  back  rooms  were  comfortably  neat. 
After  their  inspection  Mrs.  Phelps  ushered 
her  guests  to  the  front  room,  and  apolo 
gized  for  closing  the  door  between,  since 
quiet  was  necessary  to  get  the  baby  settled. 
The  two  were  thus  left  to  inspect  that  apart 
ment  in  detail.  It  held  a  nondescript  outfit, 
the  donations  of  the  charitably  inclined. 
The  rug  was  maroon,  the  table-spread  blue, 
207 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

a  cushioned  chair  red,  and  the  sofa-bed  a 
slightly  impaired  but  still  perfectly  straight 
forward  green. 

"  Where  ever  do  you  suppose  that  came 
from?"  asked  Miss  Maynard.  She  was 
looking  up  at  a  strip  of  worsted  work, 
framed  like  a  picture,  which  hung  above  the 
door.  The  colors  were  yellow,  red  and  pur 
ple,  fortunately  somewhat  tamed  by  time, 
but  still  demanding  persistently,  "  What  is 
Home  Without  a  Mother?  " 

"  I  suspect  that  is  one  of  the  donations," 
commented  the  Kids'  Lady.  "  And  I  also 
suspect  that  Martha  Mary  thinks  it  beauti 
ful.  It  is  rather  pathetic,  here,  but  I  don't 
know,  after  all.  Martha  Mary  makes  an 
admirable  mother.  I  think  she  was  born  a 
mother.  Motherhood  is  largely  a  state  of 
mind." 

"  And,"  the  Judge  added  softly,  "  a  con 
dition  of  heart." 

He  had  been  looking  about  the  room 
where  open  picture-books  lay  on  the  table, 
a  headless  doll  sprawled  half  off  the  window- 
ledge,  and  the  cushions  on  the  lounge  were 
208 


BLITHELY  ON  HER  BUSINESS 

still  whacked  flat  by  the  impact  of  solid, 
romping  little  bodies. 

"  This  may  not  be  a  very  pretty  room," 
he  continued,  "  but  it  is  a  home.  I  don't 
suppose  you  have  any  idea  what  that  means 
to  a  man  like  me." 

The  Kids'  Lady  turned  to  the  window 
suddenly.  "  Is  n't  that  the  children  com 
ing?"  she  said.  "Yes,  it  is."  And  she 
went  out  into  the  hall  to  meet  them. 

They  were  already  starting  in  from  the 
street,  George  Johnny  being  left  at  the  curb 
to  guard  Mark,  who,  temporarily  relieved 
of  responsibility,  had  lain  down  in  the 
traces.  Martha  Mary's  pleasure  at  sight  of 
the  callers  was  considerably  overshadowed 
by  her  business  zeal. 

"  It 's  just  going  dandy,  Miss  Maynard," 
she  called  out.  "Just  dandy!"  Then,  to 
Mrs.  Phelps :  "  I  guess  we  've  got  'em 
about  filled  up  down  that  street  now.  We 
can  get  down  as  far  as  'Leventh,  this  time." 

Judge  Sunderland  and  Jakey  bore  out  the 
full  freezer  between  them.  It  was  painted 
a  riotous  scarlet,  and  the  wagon  was  the 
209 


CAPTAIN  MARTHA  MARY 

same  hue.  There  was  even  a  red  ribbon 
bow,  slightly  stringy,  which  tied  a  bell  about 
the  dog's  neck.  When  the  load  was  settled, 
the  dependable  George  Johnny  picked  up  the 
leading  strap,  while  Mark,  in  plainly  bored 
obedience,  got  yawningly  upon  his  awkward 
legs.  And  so  the  little  cavalcade  started 
forth  once  more. 

Sunshine,  not  being  essential  to  the  busi 
ness,  elected  to  remain  behind;  Martha 
Mary  walked  sedately  beside  the  wagon, 
very  neat  in  her  white  apron,  a  new  market 
basket  on  her  arm,  filled  with  crisp,  pastry 
cones  and  covered  by  a  fresh  towel.  Jakey 
had  the  responsible  position  of  cashier  and 
bodyguard. 

Watching  them  go,  His  Honor  smiled 
more  and  more.  He  was  thinking  many 
things.  Only  a  few  years  now,  before 
Martha  Mary  would  be  a  woman,  and  what 
a  woman  she  would  be!  What  a  link  she 
would  make  with  the  people  he  wanted  most 
to  reach!  A  day  nursery,  right  in  this 
neighborhood,  now,  would  fill  a  great  need ; 
there  might  be  a  pure  milk  depot,  in  con- 
210 


BLITHELY  ON  HER  BUSINESS 

nection  —  to  the  Judge  these  projects  were 
as  good  as  established. 

Rounding  the  corner  out  of  sight,  the 
children  waved  gay  farewells.  Martha 
Mary  trudged  on  contentedly;  yet  she,  too, 
was  not  without  aspirations.  A  little  red 
cart  is  nice,  but  by  no  means  so  imposing 
as  a  large  wagon  with  glass  sides.  Then, 
the  bell  about  Mark's  neck,  though  it  reg 
istered  their  progress  conscientiously  was, 
nevertheless,  a  cow  bell,  and  had  a  flat  and 
dolorous  note. 

Some  day  —  on  this  point  Martha  Mary 
was  positive  —  some  day,  she  would  have  a 
gong. 


THE  END 


211 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


Form  L9-50m-4,'61(B8994s4)444 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A     000918743     6 


